Antim Panghal seemed unable to make sense of what had just happened. With hands on her head and gasping for breath after the intense bout against Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Vanesa Kaladzinskaya, the 19-year-old couldn’t believe that she had lost the semi-final (5-4) of world championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
A contest that seemed well within her grasp after she had fought back for 0-3 down in the last minute, and taken a 4-3 lead just a few seconds before the hooter was about to sound.
The young India seemed to relax for just a few seconds after she had taken the back of Kaladzinskaya. She thought it was over. However, the Belarusian, who was competing as a neutral athlete, counter-attacked in that tiny window and got two points from the frenetic last-gasp move that saw Antim’s shoulder heartbreakingly touch the mat.
A place in the final might have slipped out of Antim’s grasp but the 19-year-old will have the opportunity to fight for bronze and an Olympics quota on Thursday. Five wrestlers from each weight category qualify for the Paris Olympics from the world championships.
Competing in the 53kg weight category that normally features two-time Worlds medallist Vinesh Phogat, Antim showed that she belonged on the big stage.
The two-time U20 world champion started her campaign with the biggest upset of the day when she showed the door to reigning world champion Dominique Parrish of USA with a superb come-from-behind victory.
The strongly-built Parrish was quick to attack and get two points from a takedown even before Antim could settle down in the first period. Antim, then, showed some good defence to thwart her opponent’s moves before she came into her own in the second period, grabbing two points with a single-leg attack, and winning one point as her opponent was put on the activity clock. Parrish increased her intensity and attacks in the dying stages but Antim didn’t budge.
She cruised through her next two bouts, beating Poland’s Roksana Marta Zasina by technical superiority and then notched up a 9-6 win over Natalia Malysheva — a Russian competing as a neutral athlete.
Next up was Kaladzinskaya, who had beaten Vinesh at the Tokyo Olympics. The Belarus wrestler took her first point after Antim received a passive-play penalty and that is how the secore remained as the first period came to an end. Kaladzinskaya repeatedly tried to attack Antim’s legs but the young Indian held firm.
The second period saw Antim going all out with her attacks. She got hold of Kaladzinskaya’s leg more than a couple of times but the latter spun around to escape unhamred and stay in the lead.
The attacks, however, didn’t stop. She grabbed Kaladzinskaya’s left leg and pushed her down for two points, then tried to lock her legs but could not turn her around for more points.
With 10 seconds left on the clock, Antim’s strong arms worked on Kaladzinskaya’s upper body and she pulled her rival down for two more points. But Kaladzinskaya was alert to take control of the move in the end and a challenge eventually got her the win.
Antim will have to fight one bout — the winner of the match against Sweden’s E Malmgrene and Hungary’s S Orshush — for the bronze. A bronze will also hand her a Paris Olympics berth. Even if she loses the bronze medal bout, Antim will still have a last chance to win a quota by fighting against the wrestler who lost the other bronze-medal bout.
