Sakshi Malik is not only the first woman to have won an Olympic medal in wrestling for India, but also brought home her maiden gold in the recently concluded Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Elated to have scripted history, she feels a biopic showcasing her journey will only inspire more women to consider a career in sports.
“I am the first woman to have won an Olympic medal in wrestling for India. Maine jab wrestling shuru ki thi toh sirf 3-4 ladkiyan thi training mein. Parents ko log bolte thi ki ladki ko ladko jaise sports mein daaldiya, iska physique kharaab hojaayega, shaadi bhi koi nahi karega, kaise kapde pehenti hai,” recalls Malik, looking back at her journey so far with fondness and a desire to inspire other young girls to take up the sport.
She defeated Canada’s Ana Gonzalez in the women’s freestyle 62kg final, to clinch the CWG gold after her bronze finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Elated to have made history, the 29-year-old feels a biopic on her will only boost more women in the country to make a career in sports. She says, “Main chahti hun ki mujh pe biopic bane taaki logon ko pata chale ki kaise ek gaon ki ladki ne Olympic medal tak ka safar tay kiya aur ab aage bhi achha kar rahi hai. Main toh kehti hoon chahe koi bhi [actor ho usmein], lekin bas banalo!”
A recipient of Padma Shri and Khel Ratna Award, the Rohtak-born sports star — who trains at Inspire Institute of Sports in Karnataka — feels proud to have inspired young girls across the country, to take up sports. “Bahut farak padha hai. Mere aur baaki ki female wrestlers ke medals lane se, badlav aaya hai. Now parents themselves are bringing their daughters (to training). Gaon se bhi ladkiyan aa rahi hain. Bahut khushi hoti hai ek soch badalte hue dekh. Ab sab parents sochte hain ki humaari ladki bhi jaa sakti hai aur kushti jaise sport mein medal laa sakti hai.”
{{/usCountry}}A recipient of Padma Shri and Khel Ratna Award, the Rohtak-born sports star — who trains at Inspire Institute of Sports in Karnataka — feels proud to have inspired young girls across the country, to take up sports. “Bahut farak padha hai. Mere aur baaki ki female wrestlers ke medals lane se, badlav aaya hai. Now parents themselves are bringing their daughters (to training). Gaon se bhi ladkiyan aa rahi hain. Bahut khushi hoti hai ek soch badalte hue dekh. Ab sab parents sochte hain ki humaari ladki bhi jaa sakti hai aur kushti jaise sport mein medal laa sakti hai.”
{{/usCountry}}No two days are the same for a sportsperson, and when faced with pressure-inducing moments, Malik’s go-to person is her life partner, wrestler and Arjuna awardee Satyawart Kadian. “Achha din ho ya bura, mera pehla phone humesha mere husband ko hi jaata hai! Since he himself is a wrestler, he understands me and motivates me in every situation,” she says, and goes on to reveal her stress relieving mantra: “Bahut pressure hota hai par usko hum haavi nahi hone dete kyunki agar pressure haavi ho gaya toh humara shareer kaam nahi karega. Every time I feel negative, I write it down in a journal and then compare it with the journal I wrote when I was feeling positive. Then yeh soch kar khud ko motivate karti hun ki us din bhi negativity se nikalkar maine achhi training kari toh aaj bhi nikal jaungi. Main kaafi English gaane bhi sunti hun. Bhale hi samajh mein kuch nahi aata (laughs), but beats sunkar bahut boost up hoti hun.”
Author tweets @karansethi042
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