Exactly a month before the World Championships in Belgrade, Antim Panghal was involved in another tussle. After being denied a trial in the women’s 53kg for the Asian Games as the spot was reserved for the seasoned Vinesh Phogat, the Hisar wrestler unsuccessfully approached the court seeking justice.

While the court upheld the decision to send Vinesh, it seemed as if the stars aligned in favour of Antim as the former suffered an injury and had to undergo a surgery. That’s when the doors opened for Antim’s Asiad debut in Hangzhou.

But before the trip to China, she headed to Belgrade for the World Championships that offered her a chance to earn a quota for India for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Competing under a neutral flag due to the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India by the world body, Antim started the tournament with a massive upset in the first round, defeating reigning world champion Dominique Olivia Parrish of the USA 3-2 (a victory by points with technical points).

The 19-year-old Indian then beat Poland’s Roksana Marta Zasina 10-0 (a victory by technical superiority) in the pre-quarters and then Russia’s Natalia Malysheva 9-6 (a victory by points with technical points) in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinal, she lost to Vanesa Kaladzinskaya — a name familiar to Indian wrestling as she had beaten Vinesh in the Tokyo Olympics. Crying and in disbelief at the loss, more so as the two-time U20 world champion hasn’t experienced a semifinal loss in a World Championships.

Despite the semifinal loss, Antim knew that she still had a chance to script history and earn a quota place for Paris 2024. Back on the mat, she beat U23 European champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden 16 – 6 for a victory by Technical Superiority to ensure herself a bronze, and more importantly become the first Indian wrestler across categories to go past the quarterfinal stage.

With the quota, there was something to cheer for India in Belgrade in what has otherwise been a very disappointing campaign.

Antim will now look to ride high on her Belgrade performance and hope for a stellar debut at the Asian Games by clinching the gold medal. From a court battle to becoming the nation’s darling within a month, Antim has certainly seen the highs and lows from close quarters and take the learning forward.