New delhi, Nov. 1 -- Manisha Bhanwala had nothing to lose after Abigail Nette of the US went 6-0 up in the 59kg final at the UWW world championships in Astana. Manisha said she came back more determined to fightback in the second period and overturned the deficit, winning the final 8-6 to become India's first woman world champion in wrestling. "Whenever I am in a situation where I am trailing by a big margin, I just throw myself into attack because I have nothing to lose. I did exactly that, took the bout till the end and drew her into my fight," said Manisha during an interaction from Astana. "I did not perform that well at the Asian Games (5kg). I was frustrated, but the national coach (Virender Dahiya) told me to focus on the world championships and pushed me to train. So we didn't waste any time and got back to training," said the 29-year-old. "It was a long time dream. I have competed in many weight classes and in three world championships. Although the 59kg category is a non-Olympic weight class, the achievement is significant. Before this edition, Anshu Malik was the only Indian woman to have reached a senior World Championships final, winning silver in the 57kg category in 2021. Vinesh Phogat, one of India's most accomplished wrestlers, has won two bronze medals at the World Championships. Antim Panghal has also claimed two bronze medals in Olympic weight categories, but a world title had eluded her. In men's freestyle wrestling, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar remains India's only world champion. India coach Dahiya Manisha prepared her well for the final. "It was her experience that saw her through. We watched videos of her opponent (Abigail) the night before and realised that she is aggressive at the start and loses steam towards the closing stages. Manisha has the endurance. I was not worried in the break (Manisha trailing 1-6) and just asked her to keep her attack going and tire out her opponent. It worked," said Dahiya, who has been working with Manisha in national camps since 2022. In her long career, Manisha has shifted several weight divisions from 65kg to 57kg, trying to find the right weight divsion as she is short in stature. At the Asian Championships she won gold in 62kg in 2025. She has four medals in Asian Championships. Her three previous world championships she fought in 62kg in 2023, 65kg in 2024, and returned to 62kg last year. She then switched to 57kg weight class with an eye on LA Olympics, won gold at the national championships, and competed at the Asian Games. Manisha said she will be back to 57kg at the senior national championships this year. Being an Olympic weight it was also a preparation for her for LA Olympics qualifiers. "The target is to qualify for the LA Olympics and 57kg being the Olympic weight, I will be preparing for that division. This title has given me the confidence. Several of the world wrestlers in 59kg whom I have competed against would switch to Olympic weight (57kg) next year so that will be an advantage for me. Maintaining my weight (57kg) is not an issue." Indian women wrestlers have given exceptional results at this world championships. Manisha won the title, while Neelam Sirohi (50kg) and 18-year-old Kajal Dhochak (76kg) won silver medals in Olympic weight classes. Tanu Sharma won bronze in 72kg. "We want to qualify for the LA Olympics in all the six weights and we have wrestlers who can do that. Manisha will prepare for 57kg. She is 29 but she has competed in major events now and she has the experience. That is more important. There are some other good youngsters also in 57kg weight class. Kajal and Neelam lacked in experience but they have showed what they achieve," said Dahiya. Manisha, who comes from Jind, Haryana, wore a t-shirt with her father's picture after winning the world title. It was her father, Suresh, who took her to an akhada in Siwaha village in 2013. That marked the beginning of a long journey. Her short frame was a disadvantage, but she worked hard to make herself stronger on the mat. Then came the death of her father in 2022, which initially broke her but eventually strengthened her resolve to pursue her dream of becoming a world champion. "My father did everything for me and was passionate about the sport. His contribution to making me a wrestler is huge. Since the time I started wrestling I have only one dream -- to win something big in the sport."...