Antim Panghal made history a couple of Sundays ago when she became the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal at the Junior World Championships. Though, she is considered as the next big thing in Indian wrestling, it was left to Vinesh Phogat, on Monday, to remind Antim of how much work she needs to put in to make the next big leap.
At a selection trial in Lucknow to determine India’s squad for the 2022 Senior World Championships, Vinesh – bronze medallist from the 2019 Worlds -- put on a near clinical display, stuffing every one of her attacks and hitting on the counter to beat her younger rival 7-0 in the women’s 53kg division.
This was a dominant performance that Vinesh has been preparing for over the last couple of weeks. When she returned from Birmingham with a record third Commonwealth Games gold medal – the most by an Indian woman wrestler – the 27-year-old didn’t get carried away. After attending two felicitation ceremonies – one by the Prime Minister and the other by her home state – Vinesh threw herself into training.
Vinesh knew that while she had won gold in Birmingham, there was a rival breathing down her neck. The 53kg spot in the women’s team roster had a new challenger.
FILE PHOTO: Antim Panghal became the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal at the Junior World Championships.
Only 18, Antim is seen as one of the most promising Indian wrestlers in recent years. A couple of months before her gold at the Junior World Championships, she’d won her first senior international title at the Tunisia Ranking series, beating the 2022 Pan American champion Dominique Parrish of the USA, and the 2022 Pan American champion in the 55kg category, Karla Godinez, in the final.
Antim had also nearly defeated Vinesh. She had a 3-0 lead inside the last minute before eventually losing 3-3 (on criteria) at the selection trials to pick the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games.
It was understood that the rematch was going to be a tricky affair but there was no avoiding it.
Six Indians -- Ravi Dahiya (men’s 57kg), Bajrang Punia (men’s 65kg), Naveen (men’s 74kg), Deepak Punia (men’s 86kg), Vinesh Phogat (women’s 53kg) and Sakshi Malik (women’s 62kg) – had won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Ravi, Bajrang and Deepak were named in the Indian squad for the World Championships without having to compete in the selection trials. Sakshi ultimately withdrew from the trials.
Vinesh says she too had hoped for an exemption from the trials but was not granted one. “I had requested the federation if I could avoid the trials since it would have been very hard to cut weight for Commonwealth Games and then for the trials and then once again for the Worlds. That’s always been very hard for me,” she says. With no option but to compete, Vinesh prepared hard. “I cut down on felicitations after the CWG so I could be well prepared for this bout,” she says.
National team coaches knew how important the bout was for Vinesh. “She was of course very serious after their close bout at the CWG trials. Honestly it was a bout for the CWG gold. If either Vinesh or Antim had won, they would have gone on to win gold at the CWG. But Vinesh was very determined to make a point in that bout,” says Jitender Singh, coach of the national women’s team.
Vinesh, the coach says, had been uncharacteristically cautious the first time she wrestled Antim. “At that time Vinesh wasn’t really thinking about Antim. She’d never wrestled against her or seen her bouts. She was focussed on a possible match with Anju (who had narrowly lost to Vinesh at the Istanbul Ranking series). Vinesh thought that the CWG trial would be between her and Anju. So, she was completely unprepared for Antim and was taken by surprise,” he says.
“I had requested the federation if I could avoid the trials since it would have been very hard to cut weight for Commonwealth Games and then for the trials and then once again for the Worlds. That’s always been very hard for me.”Vinesh Phogat
Vinesh says she was also physically not nearly in competition shape. “I had just come back from a surgery on my elbow. I was still not completely fit. But I had to wrestle because it was a selection trial for the CWG,” she says.
This time, Vinesh, although still not in peak shape – owing to the training days she had to forego after the Commonwealth Games – was in much better condition. “Antim is a good wrestler. So, this time I looked through her videos and prepared for her,” she says.
In contrast to the subdued way in which she had first contested against her younger opponent, Vinesh was a lot more aggressive this time, looking to punish Antim when she attacked. Vinesh’s first points came after she stuffed a single leg takedown attempt and then went behind Antim. It was a pattern that repeated multiple times.
However, while Vinesh looked to score on the counter, she didn’t have a lot of success when creating her own offence. Late in the first round, Antim counterattacked on one of those attempts. But although Vinesh found her leg in her opponent's grasp, she was able to pull it out of danger.
While the scoreline was favourable towards Vinesh, the fact that her only chances came due to actions initiated by her opponent, meant that the win was closer than it looked on paper. “The big difference between the two of them right now is that Antim isn’t physically as strong as she needs to be at the senior level. But she is only 18. She will get stronger in the next two years,” says Jitender.
Vinesh too gave credit to her opponent. “I was able to win because I have the experience,” she says.” It is good to have an opponent like Antim. When you know you have a difficult opponent, you prepare a lot harder,” she says.
While Antim will return to the drawing board and look to get better, Vinesh is already looking forward to the Worlds, set to begin in another 10 days.
“At the start of the season the major tournament was the World Championships. I won the CWG, but I didn’t need to get into the shape I was in for that tournament. This preparation is for the World Championships. I have wrestled for over 10 years, but I’ve only got one medal at the Worlds (bronze in 2019). I think I have another three-four year in my career. By the time I retire I should have some more medals,” she says.
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