From akhadas in Rohtak to acing it all by bagging India’s first medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the 24-year-old has proven her mettle as a gritty woman wrestler. Sakshi Malik who was in Bengaluru on Friday talks about how she didn’t let anything come in the way of her winning the coveted medal.
Sakshi reveals that her life wasn’t a cakewalk. “I faced a lot of taunts from the boys in my village (Mokhra). My school was seven kilometres away and I would cycle to school everyday. I would come back and head straight to training with my coach Ishwar Dahiya. It has been a lot of struggle,” Sakshi recalls.
Sakshi adds how the same people who used to poke fun at her earlier, now want to be seen with her in her hometown. “The same people who used to taunt me now want to come and meet me in my house. Life’s changed for the better.”
By the age of 18, she tasted victory at junior-level competitions and won a Bronze at the 2010 Junior World Championships and had her first tryst with international limelight after winning the Gold at the Dave Schultz International Wrestling Tournament. “I’m now focused on improving my game and want to keep winning. From the time I came to know about Olympics as a 12 year old, I knew I had to win a medal there, which I’ve won. Ask her about any materialistic pleasures and she says, “I like my new BMW. I like to shop, but mostly for sports-related things. Whatever money I get, I want to put it back into wrestling. I think I’ve seen the world whenever I travel for matches. I take out three days and go around different countries, but I’m focused on my sport and want to excel in it.”
