Antim Panghal is being called the future star of Indian women's wrestling. She is already being termed as the 'next Vinesh Phogat' after creating history last year, by being the only female wrestler to have won the gold medal in World Under-20 Championship. Recently, Antim again drew the attention of the wrestling fraternity by acquiring silver in her maiden senior-level international competition Asian Championship, held in Astana, Kazakhstan last month.

Antim's category (53kg) is the same as Vinesh Phogat's. The junior wrestler however stated she is thankful to Vinesh for her encouragement. Antim said, "I fought with Vinesh twice. I was already nervous before the bout. But finally, my performance impressed Vinesh and she inspired me, even blessing me saying that I would be able to deliver even in the senior-level competition. It was a big boost for me before going to Astana for Asian Championship." 

The silver medal in her maiden senior-level international competition is transforming her mind. Antim Panghal, the future star of Indian women's wrestling does not hesitate to admit that the silver medal in Asian Championship held in Astana, Kazakhstan last month has started creating mental pressure on her. 

The 18-year-old wrestler from Hissar, Haryana said over the phone from her home, "I was an unknown player to my opposition in Asian Championship as this was my first international competition. But now, after I became runners-up the wrestlers at the senior level have become aware of me. So, before my next senior international tournament, I will have to overcome the psychological pressure also."

Antim Panghal is the only Indian female wrestler to have won the gold medal in Under-20 World Championship. Within a day after returning from Astana Antim started training at Baba Lal Das Wrestling academy under the coach Vikash Bharadwaj. The reason is that Antim will have to appear for selection trials for the two all-important competitions she had dreamt of. The selection trial will take place between the 20th and 25th of June for The Asian Games and The Paris Olympics next year.