Doctors prescribe melatonin to help people sleep. Manisha Bhanwala has a different remedy. “I can’t sleep if I don’t wrestle,” Manisha told The Indian Express from Kazakhstan.

The 29-year-old, who won the 59kg title at the World Championships, made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a wrestling world title. Her triumph also ended India’s 16-year wait for a world champion, since Sushil Kumar’s gold in 2010.

Beyond her wrestling skills, mental toughness and experience, it is Manisha’s obsession with the sport that has brought her one of the biggest honours in wrestling. “I become restless if I don’t wrestle. Especially after competing at the top level for more than four years, I am becoming more obsessed with the sport. The mat feels like home,” she said.

Manisha took up the sport relatively late, at the age of 16. A late bloomer in every sense, she did not win a medal at the junior level. But her willingness to keep grinding has brought her continental success and, now, a world title.…