Asian Games 2026: Antim Panghal Wins Silver After Losing to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka in 53 kg Wrestling Final

India’s Antim Panghal secured the silver medal in the women’s 53 kg wrestling category at the 2026 Asian Games after suffering a 1-9 defeat against Japan’s Moe Kiyooka in the gold-medal bout at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Indian wrestler, who had won bronze in the same category at the Hangzhou Asian Games, could not overcome the challenge posed by Kiyooka, who capitalised on her opportunities to claim the gold medal in front of a packed home crowd.

Antim began the final cautiously as Kiyooka took control of the opening exchanges. The Japanese wrestler earned a point after Antim failed to score during the passivity period and extended her advantage to 2-0 by the end of the opening period.

The Indian wrestler attempted to stage a comeback in the second period and briefly appeared to bring Kiyooka down by attacking her leg. However, the Japanese grappler managed to power Antim out of the mat. Antim challenged the decision, but her review was unsuccessful.

With time running out, Antim increased her attacking efforts in search of points. Kiyooka took advantage of the opening, attacked the Indian wrestler’s leg and completed a takedown to extend her lead to 9-1, sealing the gold medal.

Despite the loss in the final, Antim enjoyed an impressive campaign to reach the title clash. She began with a commanding 9-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek before defeating Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova 8-0 in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Antim overcame China’s Jin Zhang 6-1. After conceding the opening point, she responded with six consecutive points to secure her place in the final.

Antim’s silver medal marks her second Asian Games podium finish, following her bronze at Hangzhou in 2022. Her qualification for the final also placed her among a select group of Indian women wrestlers, becoming only the third after Geetika Jakhar and Vinesh Phogat to reach an Asian Games wrestling final.

She is also the first Indian woman wrestler to win a medal for the country at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Antim’s silver is India’s sixth wrestling medal at the Games, adding to a successful day for the Indian contingent. Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s freestyle 57 kg category, while Deepak Punia claimed bronze in the men’s 97 kg event.