Sakshi Malik, an Olympic bronze medalist, is a trailblazer in more ways than one. She transformed preconceptions and became a role model for future generations of female wrestlers, in addition to becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Her Olympic bronze medal was the climax of a string of spectacular accomplishments that defined her illustrious wrestling career.
Sakshi Malik was born in the village of Mokhra in Haryana’s Rohtak district on September 3, 1992.
Sakshi Malik was inspired to participate in wrestling after observing her grandfather, Subir Malik, who was also a wrestler.
She began training with Ishwar Dahiya when she was 12 years old, and five years later, she won a silver medal in the 2009 Asian Junior World Championships in 59kg freestyle, followed by a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships.
Sakshi Malik won bronze in the Commonwealth Championships in 2013, and then competed in her debut Commonwealth Games in Glasgow the following year, winning silver after stumbling against Nigeria’s Aminat Adeniyi in the 58kg final. In 2018, she won a bronze medal in the 62kg division, her second and last Commonwealth Games medal.
Sakshi Malik’s greatest achievement to date is the Olympic bronze medal she won in the 58 kg weight category in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Vinesh Phogat damaged her knee during her quarter-final bout at Rio 2016, seemingly putting an end to Indian ambitions. Sakshi Malik, on the other hand, came up to fill the vacuum, winning the bronze medal with an 8-5 victory over the incumbent Asian Champion Aisuluu Tynybekova.
Sakshi Malik, who works for the Indian Railways and is also a part of the JSW Sports Excellence Program, is now married and lives in Rohtak with fellow Indian wrestler Satyawart Kadian.
