Confidence unlimited, wrestling prodigy Sonam Malik seeks Olympic glory

Indian wrestler Sonam Malik is confident that her wins over 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik have gone a long way in making her believe she can be among the best.

For the 19-year-old Sonam, the wins at the national championships and the national trials have played a key role in building her confidence to compete at the international stage. Sonam sealed her place at Tokyo 2020 following a quota win at the Asian Olympic wrestling qualifiers earlier this month.

“For me, it’s like, ‘If Sakshi di can qualify for the Olympics, even I can.’ I have had a good time competing against her. I have always gone into international competitions with that mindset and that’s helped a lot,” Sonam Malik told the Olympic Channel.

Sonam has been the talk of the Indian wrestling community. In the highly competitive 62kg weight division, Sonam has a 4-0 win-loss record against Sakshi Malik! 

However, Sonam has to improve on her second-place finish at the Asian qualifiers. That has been her best senior-level international performance so far. The wrestler from Sonipat remains unperturbed.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure on me going into competitions. The coaches want me to enjoy myself and give my best,” Sonam, a two-time world cadet champion, said.  “Even at the qualifiers, the goal was very clear. I wanted to give my 100 per cent and ensure that I qualify

“Yes, it is disappointing when you go with the team and you have to return empty-handed while others end up winning medals. But my sole focus has been on giving my best every time I get an opportunity.

“The primary target has always been to qualify for the Olympics. I have seen every other event as a preparation for the qualifiers. I am happy I could go the distance when it mattered the most,” Sonam said.

With less than 100 days to go for the Olympics, Sonam Malik is determined to put her best foot forward in Tokyo. 

But with life looking tough for the Olympic-bound athletes given the COVID-19 situation in India, Sonam draws inspiration from her experience from a year ago.

“It was shocking in the beginning (of the pandemic). I was upset. I had prepared well for the qualifiers last year and just before the event the lockdown was announced,” Sonam recollected.

“But then when I spoke with my coaches and my parents, they told me to look at the year as some more time to improve myself. Thankfully my training never stopped. 

“My brother helped me train well. I could continue training without much trouble. I think I made the most of the time to be where I am today,” Sonam said.