The 18-year-old Antim Panghal scripted history on Friday when she defeated Kazakhstan's Atlyn Shagayeva 8-0 in the 53 kg category to become the first Indian women wrestler to be crowned as U-20 world champion in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Hailing from a remote village in Haryana, the former bronze medalist in the 2022 World Cadet Championships, fought all odds to reach the summit of the competition and achieve glory. Earlier, she defeated Ukraine's Natalia Kluvchutska 11-1 in the semifinals to book a place in the finals. 

Antim said in an interview that without the support of her family she couldn't have achieved anything in the field. She became a wrestler fulfilling her father's ambition. For this, her family rented a house and moved in to assist her in training at an academy. Her father borrowed money and supported her with ways to help with her training. 

She later bagged the U-15 national title in 2018, followed by a bronze-winning performance in the U-15 Asian Wrestling Championship. However, she failed to qualify for the Commonwealth Games after going down to a much experienced Vinesh Phogat in the finals of selection trials.