A 13-year-old goal & a t-shirt: Manisha realises departed father’s dream

Thirteen years ago, Jind native Suresh Bhanwala persuaded his daughter Manisha to take up wrestling with just goal of seeing her win a gold medal for India on the global stage. Suresh passed away in 2022 but his dream was realised four years after his death when Manisha stood victorious at the World Championships and held aloft a t-shirt with a picture of her father.

The gesture, soon after beating Abigail Nette in the 59kg final in Astana, was a tribute to the person who was responsible, more than anyone else, for Manisha becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to be crowned world champion in the 35-year history of the tournament.

Manisha came back from 1-6 down after the first period of the final to win 8-6 and etch her name in the history books of the sport.

“I knew I would win a medal here. I carried my father’s picture with me,” Manisha told United World Wrestling after the bout. “I have coveted this title since 2022 when I entered the senior category and lost my father,” the 29-year-old from Jind said.

“My father was my biggest support. He is the reason I have reached this level. I know he is still there watching me and supporting me,” Manisha had told The Indian Express before leaving for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Back in Jind, celebrations started in the Bhanwala family immediately after the 13-year-old dream was realised.

Manisha Bhanwala displays her late father’s picture after winning World title. (Screengrab)

“It is an emotional moment for all of us. Our father wanted her to be a world and Olympic champion and it became our dream also. Ever since we lost him in 2022, our family has waited for this moment. Manisha kept her promise,” said her brother Rinku, who was overwhelmed with emotion.

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Nervous start

Manisha’s friends and family and the Indian wrestling fraternity had their fingers crossed after witnessing Kajal Dhochak (76 kg) and Neelam Sirohi (50 kg) losing their final bouts two days ago.

Manisha’s start gave them more reasons to be nervous as Abigail scored a four-pointer and the Indian camp lost a challenge giving the American a 5-0 lead. The first period ended with Nette leading 6-1.

“I was not worried about Manisha trailing. She has got really good endurance and we know she can hold her ground till the last minute,” her coach Mandeep told this paper.

His belief was vindicated in the second period when Manisha took seven points on the trot to clinch the bout. First, she slipped to avoid Nette’s leg attack and took her down to make it 6-3. The American corner challenged the decision but lost it to make the score 4-6.

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Nette was put in a par terre position (on her stomach) and Manisha made full use of the opportunity to execute a gut wrench while trying to pin the American. Nette survived but the score was tied 6-6.

In the dying moments of the game, Manisha’s endurance made the difference and she scored another two points to lead 8-6 with 27 seconds to go. As Nette tired further, the Indian stood her ground to achieve what no Indian woman wrestler has done before.

On Thursday, Manisha conceded just two points and pinned home favourite Kazakhstan’s Altyn Shagayeva in the semifinal.

Making up for Asiad loss

After returning empty-handed from the 2026 Asian Games, Manisha hit the mat the morning she returned from Aichi-Nagoya. “We were confident that she would win at the Asian Games but she lost a close bout to Akari Fujinami. She was determined to turn it around,” Mandeep said.

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Once back in India, Mandeep and Manisha decided to work on her endurance. “She is an aggressive wrestler and usually starts to attack early. But today, she conserved her energy and that is what helped her in the last one minute,” explained Mandeep.

After winning the world title, Manisha flexed her muscles and took a victory lap with the Indian flag. Understandably so, as she has been a serial winner at the Asian level and on Friday, finally took one of the most coveted honours in the sport.