New Delhi: She is the newly crowed Commonwealth Games women’s 48kg wrestling champion, but it was an icon from another sport — weightlifter Karnam Malleswari — who was Vinesh’s childhood inspiration.
Born into a family of farmers in Ballali village of Haryana, the 19-year-old had to contend with more than just her opponents during her journey to the international level.
While wrestling was a natural choice for the male members of her village, it was a different matter for Vinesh.
However, Malleswari’s bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 came as a dose of inspiration and proved to be the turning point of her life.
“She was 7-8 years old when she started to go to the village akhada. Usually only the boys in our village are supposed to wrestle. But we always encouraged her to excel in her chosen field,” Vinesh’s uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat said on Wednesday.
“When Malleswari got the Olympic medal in 2000, it was a very big inspiration for Vinesh and gave her the self-belief that girls can also excel in sports.
“Since wrestling is regarded as a manly sport, some villagers advised us not to encourage her. But I was confident that one day she will be famous just like Malleswari,” he added. “Now the entire country is proud of her.”
“It was difficult for us to take care of their diet. But our relatives and friends contributed financially to help out.”
