Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik is a pioneer in more ways than one. Aside from becoming the very first Indian women wrestler to win a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, she changed perceptions and became a role model to future generations of female wrestlers.
That bronze medal at the Olympics was the culmination of a number of impressive achievements that defined her impressive career in wrestling.
Sakshi Malik was born on September 3, 1992, in the village of Mokhra in the Rohtak district of Haryana.
After watching her grandfather Subir Malik, also a wrestler, it was not long before Sakshi Malik was inspired to take up the sport that would go on to define her career.
At just 12, she began training under Ishwar Dahiya and five years later, she experienced her first taste of success with a silver medal in the 2009 Asian Junior World Championships in 59kg freestyle, which was followed by a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships.
After winning bronze at the 2013 Commonwealth Championships, Sakshi Malik contested her first Commonwealth Games the following year in Glasgow and came away with a silver medal after stumbling against Nigeria’s Aminat Adeniyi in the 58kg final. She would go on to bag her second and final Commonwealth Games medal in 2018 with a bronze in the 62kg category.
As a woman, power signifies faith. Faith to believe in your dreams and your abilities.”
Athlete Olympic Results Content
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