Meenakshi Stuns Antim in Thrilling Upset at Wrestling Trials
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New Delhi: In a stunning turn of events, Meenakshi Goyat defeated two-time World Championships medallist Antim Panghal in a frenetic-paced bout at the Asian Championships trials at the IG Stadium here.
Meenakshi, who had been preparing for this moment for years, pulled off a massive upset, pinning Antim down to seal the win. The 25-year-old had faced Antim before, losing to her three times at different stages of her career, but this time she used that experience to prepare for Antim’s fast counter-attacking style.
Meenakshi controlled the bout from the start, denying Antim scoring opportunities and stepping up with urgency in the second half. She credited her victory to four different plans she had for Antim, which included controlling her with her hands, dodging and attacking, and getting under her arm for a pin.
Meenakshi, who trains under former women’s team chief coach Kuldeep Malik, won the U23 Asian Championships in 2024 in the 50kg category and claimed the Senior Federation Cup to qualify for the trials. She also competed in a ranking series event in Albania in February, where she returned with a silver.
The loss presents an opportunity for Antim to work on her game and come back stronger for the Asian Games trials. The men’s freestyle category did not throw up any surprises, with Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat competing in the 61kg (non-Olympic) category.
