English
[Photo Credit: Getty Images/Lars Baron]
Sakshi Malik clinched a historic bronze medal in women’s freestyle wrestling, ending India’s painful wait for a medal on day 12 of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
The 23-year-old Rohtak girl made the country proud when she fought back from 0-5 down to beat Kyrgyzstani Aisullu Tynybekova 8-5 in the bronze medal match. She won the medal in the women’s freestyle 58 kg category after she qualified for the Repechage round. Malik qualified for the repechage round when her conqueror in the quarterfinal, Valeria Koblova of Russia reached the final of the event. Koblova defeated Malik 9-2 in the last-eight contest.
Malikis only the fourth female Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleshwari, Mary Kom, and Saina Nehwal. Her bronze is the country’s fifth medal overall in wrestling at the Olympic Games.
On Wednesday, August 17, at the Carioca Arena 2, it was a defining moment for India when Malik was lifted by her coach, Kuldeep, as the duo took a lap of honor before she went on her keens with the tri-color wrapped around her.
“It was a dream come true for me, and I had already pre-planned to celebrate this way,” Malik said about winning the bronze medal.
Malik’s journey from Rohtak to Rio is as astonishing as her win in Rio. She hails from a humble Mokhra village of Rohtak district in Haryana, where the child sex ratio is 800 per 1000 males, lower than Haryana’s average of 834. She tried her hands on kabaddi and cricket before she found her calling in wrestling, a sport which is mostly male-dominated. Interestingly, neither the Olympic competition nor the medals motivated her to become a sportsperson. Instead, it was her fascination of traveling on a plane that led her to the sport.
“I never knew what an Olympics was. I wanted to become a sportsperson to travel in an aeroplane. If you can represent India, you can board a plane and fly,” Malik said.
When she began her training at age 12, Malik not only had to battle her opponent in the akhada, which would usually be men, but also the villagers who said the sport is “not for girls.” Yet, she found a strong support system in her family.
“Parents never forced me; they supported me well in wrestling. Now when I spoke to them briefly after winning the bronze, they started crying in joy. I told them, it’s time to celebrate,” Malik revealed.
By the age of 18, Malik tasted victory when she won a bronze medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships in the 59-kg category. However, she first came to the international limelight after winning gold at the Dave Schultz International Wrestling Tournament in the 60 kg category in 2014. In May 2015, she bagged the bronze at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Doha.
The Olympic win will make the Rohtak girl richer by more than $375,000 (2.5 crores). The Haryana government has also promised a bumper bonus of around $299,200 (Rs. 2 crores) for the bronze medal. In addition to this, they have promised land in the state. Indian Railways had also promised a cash reward of close to $75,000 (Rs. 50 lakh) for Olympic medalists. The national Olympic body had also announced, that for the first time, they would award close to $30000 (Rs. 20 lakh) for bronze.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Lifestyle News on India.com.