Sakshi Malik — Grappling with Disappointments

Sakshi Malik isn't one to fret over disappointments.

The wrestler might have won a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) but the colour wasn't the one she desired.

A below-par bronze medal show at the Gold Coast CWG would've been reason enough for the 25-year-old to take some time off, get away from the sport and clear her head.

However, she chose to go the other way.

"Usually, when you have a disappointing result, the best thing to do is get back to training," Sakshi told DNA.

"That's what I did after the Commonwealth Games. I just trained twice as hard, and that's when I got my confidence back," she added.

Not just her game, her mind also needed that.

"I worked a lot with my psychologist," she said. "It has helped me get mentally stronger now than before."

Armed with a shot of self-belief, the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medallist will enter the Asian Games desperate to make amends for her dissatisfactory CWG outing.

The Rohtak-based wrestler will compete in the 62kg category in Jakarta, as opposed to 58kg in Gold Coast.

Sakshi won a bronze in the 62kg event at the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek earlier this year, though her last tournament — the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul — was a huge let down, with the Indian failing to even make it to the medal round last month.

The past few months, thus, haven't been too kind to Sakshi. Yet, she refuses to be too hard on herself.

"My last competition wasn't very good for me. But I've learnt a lot of things lately," Sakshi said.

"What I've learnt the most is that performances will go up and down, that is bound to happen in any sportsperson's life.

"I wanted a gold at the CWG, but I had to settle for a bronze. That's alright, because I have the Asian Games now to try and win that gold for myself and for my country.

"My dream of winning gold is still unfulfilled, and I will do everything I can to live my dream at the Asian Games," she added.

It's not just her dream.

Her husband Satyawart Kadian, a fellow grappler whom Sakshi married last year, wants her to win the Asiad medal as much as she does herself.

Unlike Sakshi, Satyawart was part of the Indian contingent for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

He lost his first round in the 97kg category, sprung to life in the repechage round but lost out on a medal by going down in his bronze medal match.

He doesn't want Sakshi to suffer the same fate as him.

"My husband is always there to motivate me. If he sees any weakness in me during tournaments or training, he is always the first one to spot it and tell me," Sakshi said.

"He lost out on the Olympic qualifiers by just one second, so he wants to ensure that the same doesn't happen to me ever in my career.

"We both keep talking about wrestling to each other. We both are working extremely hard together, talking to each other saying that neither of us should give up fighting till the last second," she added.

Marriage hasn't altered things drastically for Sakshi, except that the support system has only got stronger.

"I've got a lot more support as far as my wrestling career is concerned. Not just from my husband, but also my father-in-law (Satyawan Kadian), who was also a very fine wrestler back in his days.

"So, if you get the backing from your entire family, that makes a lot of difference for me mentally," Sakshi said.

What has changed, though, is life after her 2016 Rio Olympics exploits, where she provided India its first medal joy in an otherwise gloomy Games for the country.

Sakshi became India's first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal, her bronze in the 58kg category making her an overnight sensation.

"Things have changed a lot after Rio. The entire country knows me now.

"And it's not just about popularity, the entire country also expects me to win medals every time I step on to the mat now. Living up to those expectations is really challenging," she said.

Come the Asiad, and those expectations will be back.

Flashback 2014

Wrestling: Indian wrestlers came back with 5 medals from the 2014 Incheon Games. While Yogeshwar Dutt clinched the country’s lone gold medal in wrestling, Bajrang Punia won a silver. There were 3 bronze medal winners: Vinesh Phogat, Geetika Jakhar and Narsingh Yadav.

India’s wrestling squad  for 2018 Asian Games

Men’s Freestyle: Sandeep Tomar (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Sushil Kumar (74kg), Pawan Kumar (86kg), Mausam Khatri (97kg) Sumit Malik (125kg)

Women’s Freestyle: Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Pinki (53kg), Pooja Dhanda (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Divya Kakran (68kg), Kiran (72kg)

Greco-Roman: Gyanender (59kg), Manish (67kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Harpreet Singh (87kg), Hardeep Singh (97kg), Naveen (130kg)