Speaking on Wednesday, Antim said the team’s collaborative preparations have allowed senior wrestlers to provide guidance and help identify areas for improvement.
“This time, our team is very good. We have both senior and junior wrestlers. We have been training together for the last three months. We help each other, and the seniors also guide us. They tell me what I am doing wrong and what I should work on. This training is helping us prepare well for the mat,” she said.
Antim said that despite expectations to win medals, the team is under no pressure. She emphasised that the collective objective is to target gold and deliver their best performance at the continental event.
“Everyone wants to win a medal, and everyone is preparing to win gold. We are trying to give our 100 per cent. There is no pressure. We know what we have to fight for, and we train for that. We compete in other tournaments as well. The Asian Games are important because they are held once every four years, but we will give our 100 per cent,” she added.
She also stressed the importance of focusing on performance during matches and repeatedly addressing mistakes during training.
“We will focus more on our work on the mat. We all have to fight on the mat, so it is not about doing separate training. We are focusing on our mistakes and working on them again and again so that we can execute them properly during the bout,” she said.
The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. Indian wrestlers aim to improve on their previous performance at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where the country secured three bronze medals in wrestling.
India won a record 107 medals at the Hangzhou 2022 Games, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze, and will seek to surpass this tally in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Indian wrestling team for the 2026 Asian Games includes Dipanshi (women’s 50kg), Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg), Manisha Bhanwala (women’s 57kg), Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 62kg), Nisha Dahiya (women’s 68kg), Priya Malik (women’s 76kg), Aman Sehrawat (men’s freestyle 57kg), Sujeet Kalkal (men’s freestyle 65kg), Sagar Jaglan (men’s freestyle 74kg), Deepak Punia (men’s freestyle 97kg), Rajat Ruhal (men’s freestyle 125kg), Sumit Dalal (Greco-Roman 60kg), Deepak (Greco-Roman 67kg), Aman (Greco-Roman 77kg), Sunil Kumar (Greco-Roman 87kg) and Nitesh Kumar (Greco-Roman 97kg).
With senior and junior wrestlers training together and focusing on correcting mistakes, the Indian contingent is preparing to deliver its best performance when the Asian Games begin in Aichi-Nagoya.
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