India's Manisha Bhanwala scripted history on Friday, October 30, by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Wrestling World Championships. The 29-year-old defeated USA's Abigail Nette 8-6 in the 59kg final in Astana, Kazakhstan, ending India's 39-year wait for a gold medal in the women's category.
The wrestler from Rohtak, Haryana, staged a remarkable comeback to secure the historic victory. Manisha was trailing 1-5 at the end of the first period, but turned the contest around by scoring seven points in the final three minutes to beat her American opponent 8-6.
Manisha's victory also made her only the second Indian wrestler to win a gold medal at the Wrestling World Championships. Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was the first Indian to achieve this feat in 2010.