Antim Panghal selected for India's Asian Games wrestling squad after emerging victorious in 53 wait categories at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) women's selection trials held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Saturday. Express Photo by Gajendra YadavOn a day when the presence of ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat hogged the limelight, two-time World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal reclaimed her standing in the 53 kg category after defeating Meenakshi Goyat in the Asian Games trials final at the IG Indoor Stadium.Antim, who represented India in the 53 kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics, suffered a shocking loss against Meenakshi Goyat in the Asian Championships trial earlier this year. In the absence of Vinesh, Antim had owned the 53 kg category for the past two years before losing to Meenakshi.The loss against Meenakshi in the Asian Championships trial had hit Antim like a roadblock. “I lost to Meenakshi di last time in the trials. Before that I rarely lost in the trials and was going to international tours. When I lost the last time, it hit me a little hard,” said Antim. “I realised the importance of winning and worked extra hard this time.”On Saturday, Antim came up with a new strategy to counter Meenakshi’s game. During the six-minute bout, contrary to her playing style, Antim defended stoutly and foiled any attacking moves made by Meenakshi. “I lost to her last time while trying to attack but this time my plan was simple, not to give her my legs. Once I got that right, she tried other attacks but couldn’t get it done,” explained Antim.Last time, Antim tried to attack Meenakshi’s legs but paid the price and Meenakshi had countered her in the last moment to pin her. “The idea was to sit patiently and let her attack. When the opponent doesn’t get many chances, they panic and the same happened today,” Antim’s coach Siyanand Dahiya said.While Antim successfully executed her strategy, the bout was ultra defensive with the scoreline reading 3-2. Antim didn’t put forward any attacks and the three points she got were all technical points which resulted in Meenakshi protesting at the end of the bout. Meenakshi alleged that none of the decisions went in her favour. However, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), after a review, said the bout was won fairly by Antim.Before the trials started, the atmosphere inside the KD Jadhav Indoor hall was already heated. However, Antim didn’t let the drama happening around affect her and continued her usual business.Story continues below this adShe started her trials in dominant fashion taking down Tannu in 34 seconds. As the bout started, Antim grabbed onto her ankles and turned her over five times to take the win on technical superiority. After that, she pinned Himanshi with just as much ease to enter the semifinals.In the semifinals, she faced Commonwealth Games medallist Pooja Gehlot who put up some resistance. For the larger part of the bout, both wrestlers were locked at 1-1, however, Pooja’s attempt to attack Antim in the last moments resulted in the 2025 Worlds bronze medallist reversing it to take her down and make it 5-1.“My bouts were good and it was a competitive category. I think I executed my plans well and my final went really well,” said Antim, who will be one of India’s biggest medal hopes at the upcoming Asian Games.When asked about if the whole saga of Vinesh returning to the mat affected her performance, Antim said, “It is just another bout at the end of the day and when we are in a competition, we have to fight anyway.”Story continues below this adWith the Asian Games three months away, Antim has just played one international tournament this year. But with her regular presence at the international level, it is expected that she can provide some resistance against the wrestlers from Japan, China and North Korea at the continental showpiece.Pritish Raj works with sports team at The Indian Express' and is based out of New Delhi. ... Read More Tags:wrestling