Tokyo Olympics 2020: All contenders in my weight group are strong, says Sakshi Malik

What’s the story?

Star Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik said that all contenders in her weight category were competent enough and that she was not focusing on any particular challenger as such.

In case you did not know

The 27-year-old Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in the 58 kg category at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She has also won a bronze and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships in Johannesburg in 2013 and 2017 respectively. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017 by the Indian government.

Heart of the matter

Sakshi, who was attending a function organized by Herbalife and Inspire Institute of Sports, reflected on the pool of wrestlers in her weight slab (that she'll be competing with in the Olympic Qualifiers) and stated that she felt that all of them are on a par.

"In my weight category, all contenders are strong. It is not like someone is a champion continuously. All are almost (at an) equal (level). There is no challenge as such that a particular wrestler or a country is strong,” she said.

She also spoke about the recently-concluded Asian Wrestling Championship:

"Our girls performed very well and won three gold medals defeating Japanese wrestlers. Indian wrestlers are growing strong."

What’s next?

Sakshi will not be able to participate in Asian Olympic Qualifiers after she lost to 18-year-old Sonam Malik in the trials last month.

Also check out: the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Schedule