Earlier, Karnam Maleshwari had won a bronze in 2000 Sydney Olympics, while Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom had won bronze medals in 2012 London. Now Sakshi Malik has given new hopes that still India has chances and going to win medals in coming days. Sakshi won the medal match in the wrestling 58kg category in the most astonishing fashion after she qualified for the Repechage rounds of the women’s freestyle 58kg event.
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She had earlier stormed into the bronze medal play-off round with a dominating performance in her repechage round, where she thrashed Purevdorjiin Orkhon of Mongolia 12-3.
Born on 3 September 1992, Sakshi is also the only women wrestler from the village which has produced several achievers in the field.
She, however, failed to maintain the lead as the Russian overpowered her with some incredible moves to take an unassailable 9-2 lead in the dying minutes.
The 21-year-old, who was leading 1-0 at the time also lost her grip following the injury allowing Sun to score a couple of points and take the lead.
Congratulatory messages and wishes kept pouring in since the morning of Thursday.
“It’s my dream of 12 years come true, I’m so happy”, Malik said. I’ve competed in many countries but not in Japan. She had promised me that she will get a medal for the country.
Sakshi Malik is a comeback queen, a role model and, now, a bronze medallist. Then in 2014, she further gained global recognition by winning the gold medal at the Dave Schultz International Wrestling Tournament (60kg).
She started to break through internationally after winning a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, followed by a bronze at the Incheon Asian Games the same year.
Sakshi had been inspired by Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also congratulated grappler Sakshi Malik for the feat.
“I am overwhelmed for what she has done”.
In the second period, she displayed some very good defensive technique and never let the Romanian get around her. “The whole country is grateful to her”, he concluded. #IND’s daughter, we are proud of you.
Here are some tweets that flooded immediately after she won a medal.
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The day also witnessed double lap runner Tintu Luka finishing sixth in the 800 meter heats despite clocking her season’s best timing.
