Quick Info→
Marital Status: Unmarried Age: 19 Years Hometown: Hisar
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Wrestler |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 158 cm in meters– 1.58 m in feet & inches– 5’ 2” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 55 kg in pounds– 121 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 32-28-32 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Wrestling | |
| International Debut | U-15 – Asian Wrestling Championship (2018) U-23 – Asian Wrestling Championship (2020) |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | She was confirmed as one of the Arjuna Award recipients in December 2023 for her outstanding wrestling performance. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 31 August 2004 |
| Age (as of 2024) | 19 Years |
| Birthplace | Bhagana, Hisar, Haryana |
| Zodiac sign | Virgo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Hisar |
| Controversy | Protested the ad hoc panel’s decision In July 2023, Antim filed a petition in the High Court contesting the ad hoc panel’s decision that gave Vinesh Phogat direct entry into the 53kg event of the 2022 Asian Games, citing concerns about the impartiality and unfairness of the selection procedure. In an interview, she raised questions about the criteria for selection, and said, “I won the trial fair and square. Why should I be the standby player in 53kg. My petition has been dismissed but I won’t stop, I will keep fighting, we will move the Supreme Court. If she keeps getting direct entries like this, how will one know how good we are? We will keep trying. My coach will decide what we are going to do next but the fight will continue. What’s the point of me winning three bouts? I know she is pretty good and has many medals but she must fight against us in the trials.” [1]The Times of India |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father– Ramniwas Panghal Mother– Krishna Kumari |
| Siblings | Brother– Arpit Sister(s)– 3 (elder) • Sarita (kabaddi player) • Meenu • Nisha |
| Style Quotient | |
| Cars Collection | Mahindra Scorpio |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Antim Panghal
- Antim Panghal is an Indian wrestler who became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the U-20 wrestling world championship in 2022. In 2023, she bagged a bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as well as a bronze at the 19th Asian Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
- In 2018, Antim Panghal emerged victorious in the 49kg U-15 national wrestling championship held in Patna. She then went on to win a bronze medal in the same year at the Asian Wrestling Championship in the U-15 category held in Japan. Later that year, she competed in the Asian Wrestling Championship, which was held in Japan, and bagged a bronze medal in the U-15 category.
- In 2o20, Antim won the gold medal at the 2020 Junior Asian Championship and the silver medal at the U-23 Asian Championship by defeating opponents who were much older than she was. She won a bronze medal in the 53 kg class at the 2021 World Cadets Championship in Budapest, Hungary. She won her first gold medal in the senior category in July 2022 when she defeated Dominique Parrish of the United States at the Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series in the women’s 53kg event held in Tunis, Tunisia.
- In August 2022, she won a gold medal at the U-20 World Wrestling Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, and created history by becoming the first Indian to win the title.
Antim Panghal after becoming the first Indian women’s wrestling champion in the U-20 category
Later that year, she won a gold medal in the 53 kg event at the Asian U20 Championship held in Manama, Bahrain. Then, she won a gold medal at the 45th World Junior Wrestling Championships which was hosted in Amman, Jordan. Later, at the Asian U23 Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, she finished second in the 53 kg event.
- In April 2023, she won a silver medal at the 19th Asian Wrestling Championships, which was held in Astana, Kazakhstan. In September 2023, she made her debut at the Asian Games where she won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. In September 2023, she competed for the first time in the United World Wrestling (UWW) Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia. There, she defeated two-time European champion Jonna Malmgren of Sweden to win a bronze medal. This win at the World Wrestling Championships helped her secure a quota for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Antim at the United World Wrestling (UWW) Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
- Antim is the last girl born into the Panghal family, and gets her name from the English word “last” or “final.”
- When Antim was just ten years old, her sister Sarita Panghal took her to see a wrestling match at the Mahavir Stadium in Hisar, Haryana, and that’s when she became interested in wrestling. At first, Antim’s father Ram Niwas was hesitant about his daughter going into professional wrestling, but he eventually gave in when Antim’s coach Roshni Devi persisted him.
- During the first few months of her training, Antim would travel 20 km each day to the Mahavir Stadium in Hisar with her father Ram Niwas and sister Sarita. Later, to avoid the commute, her father made arrangements for her to move to Hisar. Her family eventually relocated to Hisar. Her father, in an interview, mentioned that he built a house with a cattle shed especially for Antim’s diet needs and said,
The buffaloes were non-negotiable. If my daughter had to wrestle, she had to get the best diet and I didn’t trust the milk you get in cities.”
- In September 2023, due to the suspension of WFI by United World Wrestling (UWW), Antim participated in the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia as a neutral athlete rather than under the Indian flag. Later, in an interview, Antim expressed her disappointment about not being able to play under the Indian flag, and said,
I won a bronze at the World Championship, but I was heartbroken because I could not even wear the India jersey. I had to wear the costume given by UWW. It hurt a lot that I could not represent India.” [2]News 18
- Despite winning the 2023 Asian Games selection trials, she was not chosen to compete for India because Vinesh Phogat was given direct entry for the women’s 53kg category at the continental meet by the federation. But, Vinesh suffered an injury at the last minute that gave Antim Panghal, Vinesh’s backup, the opportunity to represent India at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Antim Panghal then went on to win the bronze medal.
- In December 2023, United World Wrestling (UWW), the international organisation that oversees amateur wrestling, named Antim Panghal the women’s Rising Star of the Year 2023.
References/Sources:[+]
| ↑1 | The Times of India |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | News 18 |