Rohtak, June 1 -- Even as Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat failed to secure a place in the Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games, Haryana once again underlined its dominance in Indian women's wrestling. Notably, all six wrestlers selected for the games in Nagoya and Japan, hail from the state. These next-generation women wrestlers include a two-time U20 World Champion and former world No. 1, Antim Panghal of Hisar, who secured the 53kg spot, emerging as one of India's strongest hopes for a medal. Rohtak's Manisha Bhanwala, a gold medalist at the 2025 Asian Championships and 2016 South Asian Games, qualified in the 57kg category, while fellow Rohtak wrestler Mansi Ahlawat claimed the 62kg place with an impressive record across all levels of the World Championships, including a bronze in 2024. Similarly, Panipat's Nisha Dahiya booked her place in the 68kg category after overcoming injuries and personal setbacks to become an Asian Championships silver medallist and Paris Olympian. Meanwhile, Jind's Priya Malik secured the 72kg berth, continuing her rise as a multiple junior world and Asian medallist with a U23 Asian gold to her name. Additionally, Dipanshi earned the 50kg berth following impressive performances on the domestic circuit. Besides these qualifiers, who maintained Haryana's dominance at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) selection trials at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Stadium, the 25-year-old Meenakshi Goyat of Chabri village in Jind district also emerged as the biggest talking point after Olympian Vinesh Phogat 6-4 in the 53-kg semifinal, bringing the star wrestler's Asian Games bid to an abrupt end. Congress MLA from Julana, Vinesh Phogat, entered the trials amid intense anticipation, comfortably winning her earlier bouts before running into the fearless youngster. Meenakshi's aggressive low attacks and calmness under pressure rattled Vinesh throughout the contest. But Meenakshi later lost the final to Antim Panghal as her semifinal victory instantly turned her into the talking point of Indian wrestling. A farmer's daughter from Chabri village of Jind's Julana, which falls under Vinesh's constituency, Meenakshi trained through years of struggle and sacrifice. Soon after Meenakshi's victory over Vinesh, celebrations erupted in her native Chabri village as residents gathered at her home and hailed her performance as a proud moment for the entire region. The high-profile bout had generated huge local interest, with many describing it as a contest between Julana's "Beti and Bahu", as Vinesh is married into Bakhta Khera village of Julana. Meenakshi, a silver medalist at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship held in Kyrgyzstan last month, lost to Antim in the final. Speaking to HT, Meenakshi's coach and owner of Sonepat's Kuldeep Malik Wrestling Academy, Ajay Malik said that victory and defeat are part of the game and the young wrestler was satisfied with her performance. He said Meenakshi would soon return to training at the academy with her focus now firmly on the upcoming international competitions. Malik added that it was a matter of immense pride for Haryana that all the women wrestlers who qualified for the Asian Games are from the state, reflecting Haryana's unmatched dominance and its remarkable production line of women wrestlers on the national stage....