Many feared that letting a Cadet-level wrestler Sonam Malik compete in opposition to established stars within the senior class may end in a severe harm for the teenager or may even spell an early finish to her fledgling profession.
But the younger gun from Madina Village in Haryana’s Sonepat district has proved that the chance was price taking.
It didn’t take the 19-year-old lengthy to earn a fame of being a slayer of Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik as Sonam has made the 62kg class her personal and is now gearing as much as compete on the greatest sporting stage — the Olympics.
It all began when Sonam’s coach Ajmer Malik and her mother and father started to persuade the nationwide federation that the two-time World Cadet champion was prepared for a plunge on the senior degree.
It is uncommon that somebody who has not had the publicity even on the junior degree, is claimed to be prepared for the competitors on the highest degree.
After a lot persuasion all through the 2019, the WFI allowed Sonam to compete in trials for the Rome Ranking sequence occasion in January 2020.
“After the trials were over and Sonam had earned berth in the Indian team with a win over Sakshi Malik, Neta ji (WFI President BB Sharan) said, ‘it would have been a big mistake if we had not agreed on Sonam’s appearance in the trials’,” Sonam’s coach Ajmer advised PTI.
“The WFI and many others had argued that she would get injured since she lacks experience. They said we will jeopardise her career by doing this, but we kept cajoling the federation.”
The cause behind such assurance and confidence was Sonam’s distinctive present on the native ‘Dangals’, the place she was taken for mere evaluation however got here out triumphant whereas competing in open class in opposition to huge names.
I visited the academy of Tokyo-bound wrestler Sonam Malik to know extra about her journey.This is what I bought.https://t.co/D8wwEgxxrk pic.twitter.com/pF5ENRJcJ2
— Amanpreet Singh (@amanthejourno) May 19, 2021
Whether it was Ritu Malik, Sarita Mor or Nisha or Sudesh, Sonam didn’t look after reputations. She competed fiercely in opposition to the large names in Indian ladies wrestling.
“We just wanted to assess where she was against these girls but she kept pulling of big performances,” mentioned Ajmer.
The Delhi Dangal in 2018 received her a scooter and a prize purse of Rs one lakh and 10 thousand. Overall she received Bharat Kesri title 5 occasions.
The urge to make a reputation and earn fame was at all times there in Sonam’s thoughts from the time she was simply 10 years outdated.
“In 2012, we watched Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt wrestle in Olympics after a training session in this academy. When I saw them on TV, I also made a promise to myself that one day I will also be on TV and people will watch my bouts,” Sonam recollects a kind of days at Netaji Subash Chander Bose Sports Academy in Madina.
“I wanted to win medals, those belts and see the Indian flag going up at the medal ceremony.”
Her brother Mohit, who additionally pursued sport for a while earlier than a shoulder harm ended his dream, mentioned, Sonam was tough and difficult and fearless however very obedient on the identical time since her childhood .
“If the coach says you have to run 5 kms, she would do it without complaining. We would often lie to our coach but that we have completed the run but she would never claim unless she has done it,” mentioned Mohit.
READ | Anshu, Sonam exercise on airport terminal, battle journey fatigue and ache to qualify for Tokyo Olympics
“She loved competing against the big boys. I never saw fear in her mind. Even if she lost to them, she was never ruffled. ”
To this, Sonam says,”It was extra enjoyable beating these sturdy boys. To wrestle in opposition to women was additionally good however competing in opposition to boys was at all times a great take a look at for me.”
When she will not be sparring on the mat, she is doing her second most favorite factor, talk about wrestling.
A household which eats, breaths and talks solely wrestling, it’s no shock that Sonam actually lives the game.
She doesn’t have a lot curiosity in anything.
Coach Ajmer would vouch for her sincerity.
“We have to tell her every time that it’s time to stop training. One day I told everyone that all guys have to do 350 sit-ups. When they were done, I said you have to do 150 more. While the others were harried, Sonam quietly started doing and completed the task.”
“She would not never complain about hard work.”
It is that this sheer dedication from the place Sonam attracts her stamina and power which is seen in her bouts.
No matter she is trailing by what number of factors, she is going to catch her opponents by the top of the second interval.
This is precisely what occurred when she was up in opposition to Sakshi in her first ever bout in January 2020. She was trailing 4-6 after which 6-10 however in dying moments, Sonam pulled off a four-pointer to shock her fancied rival.
Not a few times, Sonam beat Sakshi 4 time in a row.
“I saw her first time in 2017. It was dream to wrestle against her, My coach told me, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t know how I did it but I just gave my all,” she mentioned.
In two month’ time when Sonam will take mat once more as a 19-year-old on the Tokyo Olympics, she would don’t have anything to lose and all the pieces to realize.