World Championship silver medalist Anshu Malik to request WFI for personal foreign coach

Anshu Malik’s father Dharamvir feels her daughter now needs a personal coach to move to the next level. He plans to request the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to hire a foreign coach for the youngster. Malik became India’s first woman silver medalist at the World Championships.

In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda, he said:

“I have been training her since childhood. But even my training has limits which I think I have reached. She has already become a world class wrestler, now to reach to the next level, she needs someone better than me.”

Anshu Malik has been a revelation in Indian wrestling since her debut at senior level in 2020. The 20-year-old has finished on the podium in six of the eight senior international competitions she has competed in. The only two places where she did not win a medal are Matteo Pellicone and the Tokyo Olympics.

At the ongoing world championships in Oslo, Norway, she finished second, losing to two-time Olympic medalist Helen Maroulis of the USA.

The Indian wrestler’s Worlds campaign was full of grit and determination. She entered the competition with an elbow injury and then hurt her ankle during the semifinal bout against Ukraine’s Solomiia Vynnyk. In the final she seriously hurt her shoulder during a pinfall by Maroulis.

Dharamvir said they will talk to WFI but the priority for now is to get Anshu Malik to recover. He has contacted the federation for an appointment with a specialist doctor in New Delhi.

“We will talk about the foreign coach but after Anshu gets fit. Our priority is to help her recover from the injuries and get her ready for next season,” he said.

However, it will be interesting to see how the federation reacts to Anshu Malik's request. The WFI president has already expressed his reservations for a personal foreign coach for wrestlers. Instead, he believes a coach should be responsible for more than one wrestler.

The WFI will announce the foreign coaches after the senior national championships.

Anshu Malik likely to miss the Senior National Championships

Anshu Malik is planning to skip the senior nationals scheduled to be held in Nandini Nagar, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh from November 19 to 21. Dharamvir will put in a request with WFI to allow his daughter to miss the nationals that is important to be part of the training camp.

“I think Anshu has proved everyone what she is capable of. We will put in a request with the federation to allow us to miss the national championships and focus on recovering from the injury. I am sure WFI will allow us to take rest after the hectic wrestling season,” he said.

Anshu Malik has shifted focus on the Asian and Commonwealth Games that will be held next year. She also plans to defend her Asian championship title in April 2022.