One of the most talked-about Indian wrestlers in the current times, Antim Panghal had a magnificent 2025 season after a disappointing show at the 2024 Paris Olympics.The youngster from Haryana had failed to put up a fight in her debut at the Olympics and exited in the first round. However, following a rehab from her injury and recovery from the Olympics setback, she turned it around in the 2025 season. Antim was the only Indian wrestler to return with a medal from the World Championship and also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships and gold medals at the Hungary and Mongolia Ranking series.Based on her stellar season, Antim will finish the year as the World number one in the women’s 53 kg category rankings by United World Wrestling. “It was a great season for me. I wanted to change the colour of the medal at the Worlds but nevertheless I am happy that I am on the podium at the major International events,” Antim told The Indian Express.Apart from the international arena, Antim was untouchable at the national level bulldozing the opponents in all competitions effectively establishing her as the best woman wrestler in the country. Antim Panghal in action. (FILE photo)“I think it was important to prepare her mentally for the 2025 season after what she went through at the Olympics. It can have a big impact on a young kid. So, the first thing we did was to work on her emotional and mental health. She was nursing an injury immediately after Paris, so that gave her time to rest and recalibrate in her head,” Antim’s coach Siyanand Dahiya said.Antim also agreed that the injury rehab gave her the time to be prepared mentally by the time she was ready to return to the mat. “Everyone supported me after Paris. From my family to my coaches. They used to encourage me everyday and I think it really fired me up for the 2025 season which yielded good results,” she said.Assessing the 2025 seasonWhen asked what her biggest learning was from the 2025 season, Antim pointed to her improved game awareness. “I think I have learned from my previous mistakes and I won’t repeat them. Especially against the opponents I have lost to before,” she said.Story continues below this adShe has illustrated this on the mat. At the Hungary Ranking series, Antim took down Zeynep Yetgil of Turkey — the wrestler who knocked her out of the Olympics — 10-0 in the first round. Unlike the Olympics, Antim was on top of her opponent from the first minute and threw her down to take an early lead of 4-0 and never gave away her advantageous position.But Dahiya feels she needs to be smart while dealing with opponents who are very aggressive from the first whistle. “She also needs to learn that power is not everything. You can’t always overpower an aggressive opponent. Using the brain in such situations is what brings out the best in a wrestler,” he said.Need more exposureAntim has been one of the most dominant wrestlers in her category at the national level and she feels the need to get more quality level sparring and competition.“We just finished a camp in Japan where I sparred with players like Akari Fujinami (53kg Olympic Champion). I also witnessed the 59 kg World champion Sakura Onishi (59 kg World Champion) and Sakura Motoki (62 kg World champion). It was a good experience for me and I think I will need more such camps in 2026,” Antim said.Story continues below this adDue to lack of competition or quality training partners at the domestic level, Antim also spar with boys during training to match the intensity. “When she is training, sometimes I ask her to spar with boys. Yes, we do have a scarcity of competition for her at the national level. That is why the Pro Wrestling League will be good, where she can compete with wrestlers from another country,” Dahiya said.What’s there in 2026?2026 is going to be a packed calendar for wrestlers with Pro Wrestling League making a return and Asian Games slated later in the year, apart from the World and Asian Championships.“I want to stay injury free in 2026 as it is a very important year and focus on the bigger competitions such as Asian Championships, Asian Games and World Championships,” said Antim.Apart from being injury-free, Antim will also work on her counter-attack and improve the potency of the ‘fitley’ — leg laces. She is known to employ it effectively to end the matches in second, especially at the national level tournaments.Story continues below this ad“We are working on her ground wrestling so that the moment she gets her opponent on the ground, she ends the bout. Fitley is one of the most potent moves in wrestling. It can end the game in a whisker. We are making it more potent for Antim,” Dahiya explained. “During training we are also practicing match situations where I ask the wrestlers to attack her from a certain side or in a certain way, so Antim can counter it. These simulations help in real game situations.” Antim Panghal Reaches In The Finals Of Asian Wrestling Championships 2023. (Image: Twitter)When asked if she is nervous with a big season coming up, Antim smiled and said, “Ab aadat ho gayi hai (Now I am used to it).”Wrestling filesMajor achievements in 2025:Bronze medal at 2025 World Championships in 53 kg categoryBronze medal at 2025 Asian Championships in 53 kg categoryGold medal at Budapest Ranking Series in 53 kg categoryGold medal at Mongolia Ranking Series in 53 kg categoryNational Champion in 55 kg category– Antim Panghal became the second Indian woman wrestler to win a medal at two World Championships after Vinesh Phogat.– Antim also put her on the list of Indian wrestlers with multiple Asian Championships medals as she won the bronze medal in Amman.Story continues below this ad– This was the most productive year for Antim at the senior level with four medals across four competitions. She reached the podium at every competition she competed in.