Sakshi Malik became a public sensation after she became the first woman from the Indian sub-continent to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. Her success has brought about a paradigm shift to the perception of girl child and women in the patriarchal state of Haryana, where sport was ‘not for girls’. Today, she is idolised as a role model for women all over the country, and is also the face of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padao” campaign.
For this 24-year-old, wrestling was not her first love. Pooja started her career as a judoka but joined wrestling in 2009, and since then, there has been no looking back for her.
Key Achievements
2014:
Bronze – Asian Wrestling Championships
2017:
Bronze – Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Championships
Rana, the son of Udaybhan and Rajbala Rana, was born in the village of Qutubgarh in Delhi. He started wrestling from the age of eight, under the guidance of his father and elder brother, Naveen Rana. Rana first gained international attention when he won a gold medal at the 3rd Youth Commonwealth Games in 2008. He went on to win a bronze medal in the 2011 Junior Wrestling World Championship in Bucharest.
Bajrang Punia who began wrestling at the age of seven, is today one of India’s brightest prospects to further India’s legacy in wrestling. At 24 years of age, and having won medals in multiple international competitions of prominence, Bajrang is slated to lead the wrestling contingent in Tokyo 2020.
Utkarsh Kale is widely held as the next golden boy of Indian wrestling. He rose to fame when he began giving a tough time in qualification to acclaimed wrestlers. His talent earned him a spot in the Pro-Wrestling League at just 21 years of age, where his exploits made him a fan favourite.
Rahul Aware is one of the most promising wrestlers in India. His talents shot into limelight when he won Gold in the Commonwealth Youth Games, his first international sojourn. Having developed his interest for wrestling at an early age of seven, he was one of India’s star wrestlers at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Australia.
