Manisha Bhanwala Reaches World Wrestling Final in Astana, Assured of at Least Silver

Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala reached the women's freestyle 59kg final at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The result assures India of at least a silver medal in the weight class, IANS reported.

Bhanwala's place in the final is confirmed in the championship bracket, which lists the women's freestyle 59kg gold medal bout as Abigail Nette of the United States against Manisha Bhanwala of India. The final is scheduled for Friday, 30 October 2026, at Barys Arena in Astana.

A medal already secured

Reaching the final settles Bhanwala's place on the podium before the gold medal bout is wrestled. The winner on Friday takes the world title and the gold medal, and the loser leaves with silver, so India's medal in the 59kg class is already confirmed. Only its colour is still to be decided.

That distinction matters in how the result is read. Bhanwala is a world championship finalist and a guaranteed medallist, but she is not yet a world champion. The title itself is decided on Friday, in one bout, against an American opponent who came through the other side of the same draw on Thursday.

The gold medal bout

The United World Wrestling schedule lists the women's freestyle 59kg medal bouts for Friday, 30 October 2026. The 59kg competition at these championships runs across two days, Thursday and Friday, with the final closing the weight class.

Nette, whose full name is Abigail Elizabeth Nette, will stand across the mat from Bhanwala in that final. The bracket pairing was confirmed ahead of the medal round, and both wrestlers earned their places through Thursday's competition in Astana.

The championships in Astana

The Senior World Wrestling Championships run in Astana from 24 October to 1 November 2026, with Barys Arena as the venue. The tournament gathers the senior world fields across the men's and women's freestyle and Greco-Roman weight classes, and the women's 59kg class is one of the divisions contested in the closing days of the event.

For India, Bhanwala's run to the final gives the team a confirmed medal near the end of the championships. Attention in the Indian camp now turns to Friday's bout, where a win would turn the assured silver into gold and a world title.