Sakshi Malik made India proud when she won a bronze medal in the women’s freestyle 58 kg event at the Rio Olympics. She is the first Indian woman to do so.
Malik began wrestling at the age of 12 in Mokhra village, Haryana. She was coached by Ishwar Dahiya at the Sir Chotu Ram Stadium Wrestling Academy, where she trained with boys.
1. She is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal
Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, which ended India’s long-running Olympic medal drought. She has inspired many young girls to take up wrestling and pursue their dreams.
She married Indian freestyle wrestler Satyawart Kardian in 2017. She is known for her beauty and sense of style. She has modeled for several fashion designers. She is also a yoga enthusiast.
2. She is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal
Sakshi Malik is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in wrestling. She won the Women’s Freestyle 62kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, beating Canada’s Ana Godinez Gonzalez by fall.
She started her campaign with a thumping victory over Kelsey Barnes of England in the quarter-final and then defeated Berthe Emilienne Etane Ngolle of Cameroon in the semifinal to reach the final.
3. She is the first Indian woman to win a silver medal
India’s Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in the 58 kg women’s freestyle wrestling at the Rio Olympics. She is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling.
Malik hails from Haryana, a state where girls were banned from training with boys until 2002. She started wrestling at the age of 12 and has since won several international competitions.
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4. She is the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal
Sakshi Malik was the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal in the women’s freestyle wrestling 58kg category at the Rio Olympics. She had started training in wrestling at the age of 12 and faced protests from her villagers because of her career choice.
Her bout against Kyrgyzstan wrestler Aisuluu Tynybekova was a rousing display of fighting spirit. She had come from behind in three of her four matches to make it to the final.
5. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Championship
Sakshi Malik defeated Kasakhastan’s Irina Kuznetsova 7-4 in the final of the 62 kg event. This win made her the first Indian woman to win a World Championship.
Malik’s parents were ridiculed for getting her trained in wrestling, especially because it involves fighting with men. Her coach Ishwar Dahiya encouraged her to wrestle with boys to improve her technique.
She was one of the athletes along with Vinesh Phogat who began protesting against Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan over sexual harassment allegations.
6. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Cup
At the Olympics, Sakshi made history by becoming India’s first female wrestler to win a medal. In the pre-quarters, she defeated Moldova’s Mariana Cherdivara Esanu on a four point take down criteria to earn a bronze medal.
Her victory was a major boost for Indian wrestling, which had hit a low after Geeta Phogat’s disqualification in Rio. Sakshi’s grandfather was also a wrestler.
7. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Cup medal
Sakshi Malik is a freestyle wrestler from Haryana. She is a member of the JSW Sports Excellence Program and is a role model for young women. She has won several medals at the international level.
She ended India’s long wait for bronze by beating Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova in the play-off bout. The 23-year-old hails from Mokhra village in Rohtak district. Her father Sukhbir is a bus conductor with Delhi Transport Corporation and her mother Sudesh works as a supervisor.
8. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Championship medal
Sakshi Malik scripted history for India, whose athletic contingent had flattered to deceive in Rio so far, with her bronze medal (through repechage) in the Women’s Freestyle 58 kg category. She defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova in a nail-biting finish.
Geeta Phogat had dominated the 58 kg category since 2010, but Sakshi was quick to break her stranglehold. The Haryana girl became the first Indian woman to win a World Championship medal.
9. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Cup medal
Sakshi Malik is an Indian freestyle wrestler who won a bronze medal in the 58 kg category at the Rio Olympics. She has also won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a gold at the Dave Schultz International Wrestling tournament.
She won her first CWG gold by pinning her Kazakh opponent in the final. It was India’s third medal in the competition.
10. She is the first Indian woman to win a World Championship gold medal
Sakshi Malik became the first Indian woman to win a World Championship gold medal. Her victory at the Rio Olympics has inspired many young girls to take up wrestling.
She has slammed PT Usha for saying that the wrestlers’ protest against Brij Bhushan is indiscipline and tarnishes India’s image.
She began her wrestling training at the age of 12 under Ishwar Dahiya in Rohtak. She often had to fight boys in her region, where wrestling was considered ‘not for girls’.