Sakshi Malik: Wrestling the odds since childhood, our Olympian's victory wasn't easy

Humble Beginnings

Sakshi's father Sukhbir Malik works as a conductor with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) while mother Sudesh Malik is a anganwadi supervisor (source). According to news reports, Sakshi's mother did not want her to take up wrestling. She believed, those who wrestle lack intelligence. But Sakshi wanted to follow the footsteps of her grandfather, former a wrestler.

Locals would berate Sakshi and her parents while growing up. 'She'll develop puffed-out cauliflower ears (common among wrestlers)', 'She'll be undesirable to potential husbands', they would say. "It hurt a little and I wondered why people said such mean things, especially when I was so young, and it made me doubt myself," she said.

But she didn't let the negativity affect her. Eventually, her family became her biggest strength, fighting all odds to support her wrestling career. She practiced for six to seven hours a day, following a strict diet to maintain her weight. Despite all the pressure, she performed well in academics.

Late Thursday night, on 17 August, Sakshi's parents had no words to express their feelings.

"Negativity didn't creep into my mind as I was confident of overturning the match in the last 10 seconds," Sakshi told the world.

Right now, despite the glorious victory, all Sakshi can think of are aloo parathas. "I want to go home and eat aloo parathas. I had to maintain a strict diet and they would never serve those in the Olympics," she lamented.

Win over sexism

Sakshi's medal is a victory over Haryana's deep rooted sexism - a state with the lowest sex ratio in the country. Her birth village Mokhra, near Rohtak in Haryana, has a child sex ratio of 800, way lower than Haryana's average of 834.

"She has given a befitting reply to people who say that women cannot be wrestlers," said her triumphant mother.

Sakshi Malik creates history! Congratulations to her for the Bronze. The entire nation is rejoicing.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2016

What great news to wake up to! #SakshiMalik, your resilience at #Rio2016 has made whole of India proud. Many Congratulations!!!

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 18, 2016

Hearty Congratulations to #SakshiMalik for winning a medal in women's wrestling in #Rio2016 and doing India proud #PresidentMukherjee

— President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) August 18, 2016

Edited by Aishwarya Yerra