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She witnessed Rohtak’s rise as the wrestling hub
ROHTAK: Sakshi Malik’s victory added another feather to the Chotu Ram Centre here in Haryana, which has over the years become the country’s hub for women’s wrestling.
ROHTAK: Sakshi Malik’s victory added another feather to the Chotu Ram Centre here in Haryana, which has over the years become the country’s hub for women’s wrestling.
For the last couple of years, no Indian women’s team has left the shores without a trainee from the centre and at the last senior national camp, of the 32 campers, eight were trainees of the centre.
“Sakshi’s Rio medal has broken the barrier. Earlier, the target of our girls was to be in the Olympics. Now, everybody will talk about getting a medal in the Olympics. I hope the achievement will inspire girls in Rohtak and the state to pursue wrestling,” said Sakshi’s coach Mandeep Singh.
STARTING POINT
Women’s wrestling was introduced in India in the mid-nineties, but it took six years for it to travel 80km from Delhi to Rohtak.
When the move was initiated in 2002 to let girls train with boys, former wrestlers and coaches had questioned the then Haryana sports department coach at the Chotu Ram Centre, Ishwar Singh Dahiya, on letting “goats stay among lions”. “Today, women wrestlers have put Rohtak on the world wrestling map,” said Dahiya, who was instrumental in introducing women’s wrestling in Rohtak.
Of late, the wrestling centre has become the country’s epicentre and statistics speak for themselves.
In the last edition of the Senior National Women’s Championships, every fourth medallist was a product of the Rohtak centre. Of the 32 medals at stake, eight were won by wrestlers from the centre including Sakshi, who got gold for Haryana.
“Once not welcome at the Chotu Ram Centre, girls have now become its pride,” said Dahiya, who retired as district sports officer.
With results starting to come in, perception changed and news of the wrestlers’ success spread to nearby villages.
