Tanu Sharma wins 72kg bronze on Senior World Championships debut
The 20-year-old from Bhaklana village defeated Precious Rosanna Bell 9-5 in the third-place play-off in Astana.
Tanu Sharma claimed bronze in the 72kg category at the Senior World Championships in Astana on her senior world debut, winning 9-5 against USA's Precious Rosanna Bell.
Key takeaways
- Tanu Sharma won 72kg bronze at the Senior World Championships in Astana
- She beat USA's Precious Rosanna Bell 9-5 in the bronze medal bout
- The 20-year-old is from Bhaklana village in Hansi, Haryana
- She previously won silver at the U20 World Championships in Slovakia in August
Tanu Sharma won bronze in the 72kg category at the Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The 20-year-old from Bhaklana village in Hansi, Haryana, claimed the medal on her senior world debut, securing the podium with a 9-5 victory over USA's Precious Rosanna Bell in the third-place play-off.
Context and other Indian results
The medal builds on Tanu's steady rise. In August she won silver at the U20 World Championships in Slovakia, losing the 72kg final 5-3 to Japan's Chisato Yoshida. That was her first medal at an international competition, after five medals at national level. Her uncle, retired Army man Narendra Sharma, first recognised her wrestling potential.
Elsewhere at the Championships, Indian wrestler Manisha Bhanwala reached the women's 59kg final, assuring India of at least silver. She defeated Mongolia's Bolortuya Khurelkhuu in the semi-finals after beginning her campaign with a 6-2 win against Canada's Laurence Beauregard in the pre-quarterfinals. She will take on USA's Abigail Elizabeth Nette for gold on Friday.
In other bouts, Ahilya Shinde made a quarter-final exit in the 55kg category. She started with an 8-1 win over Cuba's Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia in the round of 16 but lost 6-9 to Turkiye's Tuba Demir in the last-eight stage.
In men's freestyle, Vicky Hooda entered the repechage round in the 97kg category after suffering a 2-12 defeat by technical superiority against Japan's Arash Yoshida in the quarter-finals; Yoshida reached the final, which kept Hooda's medal hopes alive.
Sujeet Kalkal's campaign in the 65kg division ended after he narrowly lost his quarter-final bout 3-3 on criteria to Abdulmazhid Kudiev.
Indian wrestlers at the World Championships in Astana
Wrestler | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
Tanu Sharma | 72kg | Bronze |
Manisha Bhanwala | 59kg | Final |
Ahilya Shinde | 55kg | Quarter-final exit |
Vicky Hooda | 97kg | Repechage |
Sujeet Kalkal | 65kg | Eliminated |
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