By News18,Siddarth Sriram

Copyright news18

India’s Antim Panghal kept the nation’s medal hopes alive at the World Wrestling Championships on Wednesday after pulling off a dramatic last-second takedown against China’s Jin Zhang in the women’s 53kg quarterfinals.
The victory sent the young Indian star into the semifinals, where she will face a formidable challenge against Lucia Yepez Guzman of Ecuador, the Paris Olympics silver medalist.
A Campaign of Contrasts
Antim, who is chasing her second World Championship medal, began her campaign emphatically, defeating Spain’s Carla Jaume Soner in just 23 seconds.
But the quarterfinal clash against Zhang was a completely different battle—tense, physical, and decided only in the final moments.
The Quarterfinal Thriller
Antim made a strong start, racing to a 6-0 lead through a combination of sharp takedowns and clever head-lock moves. Zhang, however, responded with grit, first cutting the deficit to 2-6, and then levelling the score with a rolling move that put Antim under pressure.
The Chinese wrestler nearly completed a pin in the second period, and her points from the attempt gave her an 8-6 lead with less than half a minute to go. Antim clawed back one point by pushing Zhang out of the circle, leaving the scores at 7-8.
With just three seconds left, Antim executed a decisive takedown, flipping the contest in her favour for a 9-8 victory. Her composure in the dying seconds highlighted her growing maturity as a competitor on the big stage.
Other Indian Results
It was, however, a mixed day for the Indian contingent.
Manisha Bhanwala (65kg) fell to a heavy 0-8 defeat against North Korea’s Ok Ju Kim in the quarterfinals. Her campaign could still continue through the repechage if Kim progresses to the final.
Radhika (68kg) and Jyoti Beriwal (72kg) were eliminated early and did not advance beyond the opening rounds.
(with PTI inputs)