‘Shot dead’ Nisha Dahiya becomes 65kg women’s wrestling national champion

Nisha Dahiya became the women’s 65kg champion at the senior national wrestling championships 2021 in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, a day after she was reportedly ‘shot dead.’

Rumours of Nisha Dahiya’s death were making the rounds on news channels, websites and social media after another junior wrestler with the same first name was shot dead in a tragic incident in Haryana’s Sonipat.

Nisha Dahiya, who won a U23 World Championships bronze at Belgrade earlier this month, later posted a video with Rio 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, clarifying that she was ‘alive and well’, and was in Gonda to compete in the nationals.

Barely 24 hours after quashing the fake news of her ‘death’, Nisha Dahiya, representing Railways, took the mat and swept through the opposition to win gold in the 65kg women’s weight class. It was Nisha Dahiya’s third national title and fourth medal overall at the national meet.

Haryana’s Shefali and Priyanka shared the bronze in the division.

In the women’s 76kg, Punjab’s Gursharanpreet Kaur won gold after beating Haryana’s Pooja Sihag in the final.

The veteran wrestler, a mother to a daughter, had left the sport after getting married in 2003. In 2019, Gursharanpreet Kaur made headlines after coming out of an abusive marriage and winning the gold medal at the South Asian Games in Nepal.

Delhi’s Bipasha and Railways’ Kiran shared the bronze in the category.

In Greco-Roman, Service’s Gyanender (60kg) and Sagar (63kg), Punjab’s Harpreet (82kg) won gold.

Thursday marked the first day of the three-day-long event. Former Commonwealth Games champion Geeta Phogat, who is set to make a return to wrestling for the first time since becoming a mother in 2018, will be in action in the women’s 59kg division on Friday.

The top two from each weight category at the nationals will secure direct entries for next month's Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in South Africa.