Asian Games 2026: Antim Panghal Wins Silver as India Add Two More Wrestling Medals

Antim Panghal won the silver medal in the women’s 53kg wrestling event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, finishing runner-up after a closely contested gold-medal bout against Japan’s Moe Kiyooka.

The silver marks Antim’s second Asian Games medal in the 53kg category after she won bronze at the Hangzhou 2022 edition. While she fell short of the gold this time, her run to the final underlined her position among India’s leading wrestlers in the division.

The final against Kiyooka remained competitive for much of the contest, with neither wrestler able to establish sustained dominance. The Japanese wrestler, however, managed to take the lead early and maintained the advantage as the bout progressed.

With time running out and the deficit still to overcome, Antim was forced to increase her attacking intensity. The change in approach opened up opportunities but also left her vulnerable to counters, allowing Kiyooka to collect several points during the closing stages.

Antim ultimately had to settle for silver, but her medal carried significance beyond the result of the final. She became the first Indian woman to win a wrestling medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Her achievement also added another medal to India’s growing wrestling haul at the Games. Antim’s silver was the sixth wrestling medal for India in Aichi-Nagoya.

India’s wrestling campaign received another boost with Deepak Punia winning bronze in the men’s 97kg freestyle category.

Punia defeated Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar in the bronze-medal bout to secure his second Asian Games medal. He had previously won silver in the men’s 86kg freestyle event at the 2023 Asian Games.

The 27-year-old prevailed in a cagey, low-scoring contest in which early points proved decisive. Punia managed to break the deadlock with two points early in the bout and then protected that advantage through a tightly contested remainder of the match.

The bronze represents another significant addition to Punia’s Asian Games record. After moving up to the 97kg category, he was able to return to the podium and add another medal to the silver he won previously at 86kg.

Punia’s result also strengthened India’s freestyle wrestling tally in Aichi-Nagoya. His bronze was India’s third medal in freestyle wrestling at these Games, following the gold medals won by Sujeet Kalkal and Aman Sehrawat.

Overall, the two medals won by Antim and Punia took India’s wrestling medal count at the Games to five, according to the supplied report, with the country continuing to make an impact across both men’s and women’s events.

India’s Wrestling Campaign Gains Depth

The contrasting nature of the two results also reflected the demands of tournament wrestling. Antim pushed through the women’s 53kg field to reach the gold-medal bout before finishing with silver, while Punia secured bronze through a disciplined performance in a low-scoring contest.

For Antim, the silver is another step in an already significant Asian Games record. Her bronze at Hangzhou 2022 had established her as an Asian Games medallist, and reaching the final in Aichi-Nagoya allowed her to upgrade that result.

The result against Kiyooka will leave India with a silver rather than gold in the 53kg category, but Antim’s campaign remains one of the notable performances of India’s women’s wrestling contingent at the Games.

Punia, meanwhile, leaves Aichi-Nagoya with a second Asian Games medal and another podium finish at a major multi-sport event.

With Antim’s silver and Punia’s bronze added to India’s earlier wrestling successes, the sport continues to be one of the country’s productive medal-winning disciplines at the 2026 Asian Games.

For India, the focus now turns to converting these performances into a sustained pipeline of medals across weight categories. In Aichi-Nagoya, Antim’s silver and Punia’s bronze provided two more pieces of that campaign.