Sakshi Malik, wrestler and bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics, believes that winning an Olympic medal not only changes an athlete’s life but also impacts society by creating countless opportunities for children.
Sakshi became the first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal, winning bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.
“An Olympic dream is not just an athlete’s dream; it is an entire family’s dream. Winning an Olympic medal not only changes the life of the athlete, but also the lives of their family, society and village,” Sakshi said at a media event in Mumbai on Friday organised by JSW Sports.
The 31-year-old claims that her hometown Rohtak has undergone a number of changes in terms of sports infrastructure since her medal win eight years ago.
“After my medal, there were big changes. The Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, where I trained, went from a tin roof to an AC hall. Even a stadium was built in my village and named after me.
“An Olympic medal creates a lot of opportunities, especially for children, which allows them to train in better facilities. The craze for wrestling in Haryana has increased. Wherever you go, there is a stadium every ten minutes and you see girls training in every stadium. The old mentality that girls could not wrestle has changed drastically.”
With female wrestlers now doing well worldwide, more and more girls are taking up the sport with the goal of achieving Olympic glory.
“The misconceptions that girls are unclean and should not participate in wrestling have been debunked. Now girls are proving that they too can excel in wrestling.”
Of the six Indian wrestlers who qualified for the Paris Olympics this month, five are women wrestlers: Vinesh Phogat (50 kg), Antim Panghal (53 kg), Anshu Malik (57 kg), Nisha Dahiya (68 kg) and Reetika Hooda (76 kg).
“There was a time when people thought girls couldn’t wrestle, but today that has changed. For the first time, five girls are going to the Olympics to wrestle, while only one boy is going. Girls who were once oppressed are now stepping forward bravely and excelling in wrestling.
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“After my medal win, no one is going to struggle with just the thought of securing a job or benefits. They are now starting with the goal of winning an Olympic medal. This change in mindset is incredibly inspiring.”
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who narrowly missed out on a medal at the Rio Games, echoed Sakshi’s stance.
“After the 2016 Rio Olympics, a lot has changed in Tripura. People had a mindset that they can’t do gymnastics. And in Tripura, there have been a lot of changes.
“For example, the infrastructure, the vault that you see, you need a lot of foam pits, they are very important. They weren’t there before.”
In Karmakar’s native town, as in Sakshi, a revival of gymnastics took place and several training centres came into being.
“After the 2016 Olympics, they built the foam pit there and a lot of equipment came. And the interest of the children increased tremendously. Before, there were only a few centers, but now everywhere, whether it is government or private, the centers have increased tremendously.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published via a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
Ritayan Basu
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Covers national sports news.
first print: July 6, 2024, 3:01 PM IST
