Indian wrestling in 2025: Limited senior success but juniors hold promise for brighter future

The medal count was nowhere close to satisfactory at the senior level but junior performances held out hope for a brighter future as Indian wrestling searched for new stars in a challenging 2025. On the mat, Antim Panghal emerged as India’s most consistent senior performer. Competing in the women’s 53kg category, the Haryana wrestler clinched a bronze medal at the World Championships, ensuring India’s presence on the medals table of the premier event. Antim’s run,

highlighted by a dominant performance in the bronze-medal bout, once again underlined her ability to deliver under pressure against elite opposition. She also finished third podium at the Asian Championships, adding to her continental credentials, and capped the year with a gold at the senior national championships. The performance at the domestic level assumed significance in the backdrop of her decision to compete in the higher weight category of 55kg.

Given how reliable she turned out to be through the year, it would not be an overstatement to label Antim as the country’s standout performer in the sport. However, India’s overall performance at the senior world championships was not great with Antim’s bronze being the lone medal.

Several wrestlers exited after narrow losses in early rounds, reflecting both the competitiveness of the field and Indian wrestlers’ struggle to withstand the pressure of close bouts at the elite level. A major highlight at the continental level was Manisha Bhanwala (62kg) winning gold at the Asian Championships.

The curious case of Aman Sehrawat

A major concern this year was how the season panned out for Aman Sehrawat (57kg). Toast of the nation just last year after becoming the youngest Indian to medal at the Olympic Games, the 22-year-old endured a difficult season and ended up coping a ban for turning up overweight at the world championships which led to his disqualification.

This was after the Paris Games bronze-winner began the season rather strongly as India’s leading male freestyle wrestler, reaching the podium at international ranking series events. The ban on Aman was among the year’s most shocking developments off the mat. It exposed the fragile balance between athlete management and governance at a time when stability was crucial.

Aman later returned to domestic competition when his suspension was lifted by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) after he tendered and unconditional apology. On the positive side, Sujeet Kalkal impressed with his tremendous defensive skills and has made the men’s freestyle 65kg, which was previously associated solely with Bajrang Punia, his own. He is gradually moving towards becoming a strong future prospect for India.