August 17th, 2016, will go down in the annals of modern Olympics as one of the most significant days in its 120-year-old history.
One of the greatest Olympic legends of all time, Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho, reached where no woman Olympian has ever gone before. The holy grail of four successive Olympic golds in wrestling belongs solely to this feisty Japanese wrestler. Of course, her compatriot Saori Yoshida may soon relieve Icho of her loneliness at the top when she defends her title at the 53 kg category.
In wrestling, only the Siberian Greco-Roman great Alexander Karelin, has ever come close to a fourth successive Olympic gold, when he lost the 2000 Olympic final to Rulon Gardner by a narrow margin of one point.
Across the gamut of Olympic sports, the only winners of four gold medals in the same individual events in the Olympic Games are Paul Elvstrom (DEN, 1948-1960) in sailing, Al Oerter (USA, 1956-1968) in the discus throw and Carl Lewis (USA, 1984-1996) in the long jump.
In the midst of such awesome history, one of India’s hit machines from Haryana (a relatively unknown one), Sakshi Malik carved out some history of her own by securing bronze, the first ever by any India woman wrestler.
Sakshi is only the fourth female athlete from India to have stood on the podium biting the glorious medal, after weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari (2000, Sydney), boxer MC Mary Kom (2012, London) and shuttler Saina Nehwal (2012, London). Illustrious company!!
Some prior achievements
Sakshi, first made her presence felt at the international level when she won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 2010 in the 59 kg category. In 2014, Sakshi won her first gold medal at the Dave Schultz International Wrestling Tournament in the 60 kg category.
Her next accolade came in 2014 when she won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Another bronze was added to her kitty at the Asian Championships in 2015.
Earlier this year, Sakshi’s wrestling skills were catapulted into Indian urban drawing rooms, thanks to the Pro-wrestling League and her potential was there for all to see. Wins over her senior Geeta Phogat and some strong wrestlers from Turkey and Ukraine was proof enough, that Indian women's wrestling was more than just about the Phogats.
Road to Rio
Another win against Geeta Phogat at the Olympic trials followed and the first signs that destiny had something big in store for this sturdy girl from the heartlands of Haryana had arrived. Geeta suffered the ignominy of an early round loss the first of the World Qualifiers, that too by a pin at the hands of an unknown Ecuadorian wrestler. The writing was on the wall. Sakshi would represent India at the second of the World Olympic qualifiers.
That, she did with aplomb and won India a quota at the Olympics. The rest as they say, is history.
At Rio
Coming through the qualifications rounds, Sakshi started her campaign against the world no.3 Johanna Mattson.
Narrow wins over the Swede followed by a similar one against the Moldovian saw her come face to face with the Russian world champion in the 55kg category, Valeria Koblova. She lost 2-9, but with the Russian reaching the final, Sakshi had a shot at bronze through the repechage rounds.
Sakshi ups the ante
Unlike her previous three matches, where she more a counter attacker, Sakshi was the aggressor against the Mongolian Purevdorj, as a series of single and double leg tackles left the Mongol hopelessly defending herself against a fall.
The Kyrgyz, Tynbekova laid in wait in the bronze medal contest and what a match it was. Of all the opponents Sakshi had faced earlier, the Kyrgyz was the most dangerous because she was probably the most physical and aggressive. This aggressiveness was so evident in her match against Koblova too.
True to form Tynbekova, racked up a five-point lead as she breached the Indian’s defence more than once and used a couple of ankle holds to get behind Sakshi and race to a 5 point lead.
The bronze medal seemed to be slipping away, but as had been her wont, Sakshi was a slow starter in all her bouts except the one against Purevdorj.
A couple of takedowns, followed by a strong waist tackle forced Tynbekova on to the mat and the end was near.
But it was the beginning for Sakshi
And thus unfolded the story of yet another relatively unknown athlete from India whose story, would have been swept under the realms of time had she exited the plot early.
But for now, the saga of the gradual growth of freestyle wrestling in India is assured.
Over to you Babita Phogat
