‘Years of hard work have borne fruit’

Rohit Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Rio de Janeiro, August 18

Sakshi Malik is swamped by people after her win, and that’s ironic because she says she prefer to stay away from crowds. But it’s likely that she’s never going to be left alone, for she’s become the latest Indian icon — the first woman to win a wrestling medal at the Olympics. The 23-year-old from Rohtak spoke well and eloquently about wrestling, women in sport and her win yesterday. Excerpts from an interaction:

Sakshi, your body must be sore but you must be delighted!

Yes, after this medal, I don’t feel the pain. If I’d missed the medal, then I’d have felt the pain!

You changed everything in the last few seconds...

Right until the end, I thought that I would get the medal. I told myself “tujhe ladna hai” — you’ve got to fight. So I tried until the end to attack, again and again. Until the end, I had the confidence — the medal is yours! In my heart, I believed that I could win. 

So are you like that in real life too?

Oh no, I’m not aggressive at all!

You say that you’re so calm that it’s a disadvantage on the mat?

Yes, that’s my weak point, that I’m not aggressive. The coaches tell me all the time that I have good strength, technique, but I lack aggression. They say that is my main weakness. Nature aisa hi hai na, and that seems something I lack on the mat. 

You’ve been wrestling for 12 years. How long does it take to master the technique?

Arrey, technique pakdi hi kahan hai maine! Even now I don’t know how to wrestle 100 percent. Now, after 12 years, I’m realising that I know wrestling just a little bit. I have to wrestle for many more years, and I’ll learn a lot along the way. Even when I leave it, I know I would still be learning.  

What are your interests away from wrestling?

Main thodi si shaant hoon... I like peacefulness. Bheed main mat rakho mujhe, I don’t like crowds. I like to practise, then rest in front of the TV the whole day, then sleep, and then train in the evening. That’s my best day scenario. I don’t like to go out, to parties, or to stay in crowds the whole day. 

After the first period, you were 0-5 down, and you’d been warned that you were not fighting... 

This happens in wrestling — both wrestlers lock their fingers (so that the other’s hands are not free to attack the legs), and I was warned that I was locking her fingers, but in fact she was locking my fingers. I tried to attack her in the first round, but due to some mistakes, I couldn’t score. But in the second round, I was determined that I had to do something in these last three minutes.

You faced early challenges as a girl wrestler, and people opposed you...

I’d like to tell such people that they should show some confidence in girls, girls can achieve a lot.

It’s been a long journey...

Sir journey to bahut lambi hai... I wanted to qualify for the Olympics and get a medal. Now hard work of years has borne fruit. I hope the rest of the wrestlers also get medals.

Who is your idol in wrestling?

Sushil pehelwan ji. He got an Olympics medal, and paved the way for us. 

Your name is now going to be taken with the names of Yogeshwar and Sushil.

Yaaaay!!! When I used to see them, I’d hope I’d be able to train with them, to see how they train. So if I’m counted among them, I’m very very happy.