Rio Olympics

Wrestler Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India, ending the country’s painful wait for a medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by winning the bronze in the 58kg category. The brave women from the Indian state of Haryana has made her country of 1.3 Billion people proud today.

Sakshi Malik Rio Olympics 2016
India’s Sakshi Malik poses with her bronze medal for the women’s wrestling freestyle 58-kg competition during the medals ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

She has officially become the first Indian woman wrestler to win a medal in the Olympics and the 4th Indian woman to win a medal in the Olympics, joining the list of famous Indians – Mary Kom, Karnam Malleswari and Saina Nehwal.

Sakshi Malik Rio Olympics 2016
Wrestler Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India. Rio de Janeiro: India’s Sakshi Malik admires her bronze medal for the women’s wrestling freestyle 58-kg competition during the medals ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday. PTI Photo by Atul Yadav

Born on September 3, 1992, in Mokhra village in Rohtak, Haryana, Sakshi Malik has always dreamed of becoming a wrestler following the footprint of her wrestler grandfather. With the help of her supportive parents, Sudesh and Sukhbir, she began training at the age of 12 under under the guidance of Ishwar Dahiya at an akhara in the Chotu Ram stadium. She and her coach had to face a lot of opposition from the locals for having taken up a sport which was “not for girls”

Sakshi Malik Rio Olympics 2016
Wrestler Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India. IMAGE: India’s Sakshi Malik celebrates with her coach. Photograph: Toru Hanai/Reuters.
Sakshi Malik Rio Olympics 2016
Wrestler Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India. IMAGE: India’s Sakshi Malik celebrates after defeating Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s Freestyle 58 kg bronze medal match at the Rio Olympics. Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty Images.

Featured Image Credits: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber | Toru Hanai/Reuters

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