Indian women’s wrestling team for the Asian wrestling championships at Amman is a mix of prodigies like Antim (53kg), Reetika (76kg), Mansi Lather (68kg) and Jyoti Berwal (73kg) and wrestlers making comebacks into the team like Ankush (50kg), Nishu (55kg) and Manisha (62kg).
Japan has entered a really strong team with 7 world champions (former or current) and two age-group world champions. So winning gold in any category is going to be an uphill task.
The Chinese team will also be hard to beat, having many world and Olympic medallists. DPR Korea has sent a wrestler in all categories and you never know what to expect from them. In addition, the wrestlers from the former Soviet-bloc countries will be raring to make a mark.
Let us look at the prospects in each category. Draws have been made and a medal of any colour will not come easy.
50 kg:
Ankush was a one-time prodigy having won silver at the U17 World championships in 2015 at the age of 14 (to be verified). She has been going through a tough time since then and this will be her first senior tournament- she qualified beating Neelam in the finals of the trials.
Remina Yamamoto will be the outright favourite- she is the reigning Asian Games champion and world champion from the Oslo championships in 2021. Imagine having to go against Yui Susaki for a place in the national team. Yu Zhang of China has a gold from the U20 WCh and will be a dark horse. Aktenge Keunimjaeva of Uzbekistan has multiple medals at the continental level. Ankush will have to fight out of her skin to medal.
53 kg:
This will be the first opportunity for Antim Panghal to redeem herself after the debacle at Paris 2024. Moe Kiyooka is the reigning world champion from the 55 kg category and she will be in 53 kg because Akari Fujinami is not here.
Jin Zhang was the silver medallist who lost to Kiyooka last year. Both of them are in her side of the draw and it is possible, Antimmight not even make it to repechage (if she is anywhere below her best). The other half of the draw has Choe Hyo-Gyong of North Korea, Paris 2024 bronze medallist.
55 kg:
Nishu, like Ankush, will be in her first senior international tournament. Haruna Murayama has 3 world championships golds, earliest being from 2017, enough said! Kyong RyongOh of DPR Korea is the reigning Asian silver medallist, losing only to Kiyooka.
Yuxuan Li is a youngster from China with plenty of promise. Nishu can medal if she can somehow beat Li in the first round.
57 kg:
Neha Sharma’s biggest achievement so far is a U20 world bronze. In her half of the draw, she has to contend with KexinHong of China- Olympic bronze medallist from Paris and Sara Natami of Japan, U23 world champion from 2023. Do not have any hope here.
59 kg:
Nothing much is known or expected from Muskan in 59 kg. There are quite a few Muskans in Indian wrestling and this Muskan is probably not even the best Muskan.
She will have to beat U20 world champion, Sakura Onishi of Japan to reach the semis. Former Asian champion, Mengyu Xie of China will be the favourite from the other side of the draw.
62 kg:
Manisha is the most experienced member of the team and she will compete in 62 kg. Nonoka Ozaki, the only Japanese medallist from Paris who has entered here, will be itching to correct the disappointment of not winning Olympic gold. Manisha has the best draw of all Indian participants as Japan, China and DPR Korea are all in the other half of the draw. She should win silver if she carried the momentum from the trials.
65 kg:
Monika’s biggest achievement so far is a bronze from the U23 world championships in 2023. Qi Zhang, world champion from 59 kg, will be competing in 65 kg.
Another big gun in the draw is former 65 kg world champion, Miwa Morikawa of Japan. Both are in Monika’s side of the draw. You can write this off.
68 kg:
There is plenty of positive noise around Mansi Lather. She is only 18 and has a world and Asian gold medal at the U17 level. 2024 72kg world champion, Ami Ishii will be the favourite. Zelu Li of China is also in good form with a silver from the Muhamet Malo tournament.
Indian fans will not fondly remember Sol Gum Pak of DPR Korea- she beat a wounded Nisha in the Olympics- she will be another medal favourite. Winning a medal would be very difficult for Mansi- we want to see some spark.
72 kg:
Jyoti Berwal, India’s only gold medallist from last year’s U20 championships in Pontevedra, Spain. Like Mansi, she has a blotless age-group record and it will be interesting to see her transition to the senior level.
Standing in her way will be Masako Furuichi, former 72 kg world champion from 2021, bronze medallist in 2022 (losing only to Amit Elor) and the experienced Zhamila Bakbergenova of Kazakhstan.
76 kg:
There is a lot of expectation from Reetika here. She had a tough loss to Priya earlier this year and she has already shown us that it was because of an off day. Japan’s possibly weakest entrant is in this category- Nodoka Yamamoto- there is no such thing as a weak Japanese wrestler; let’s not take her lightly.
If things go to plan, Reetika will have a chance of revenge against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the final- who gave her a tough (unfair) loss at the Olympics.
