Rio 2016: Sakshi Malik’s dream of flying in an airplane earns her a medal

Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India in Wrestling in Rio 2016. Twitter
Sakshi Malik wins bronze for India in Wrestling in Rio 2016. Twitter

Internet Desk: Not all kids dream of an Olympic medal when they step out to play in their neighbourhood. One of the most decorated Olympians Usain Bolt didn’t want to become a sprinter – he instead wanted to become a cricketer. But a Bolt struck the sporting world. So has a Sakshi Malik.

When many of India’s top athletes kept missing podium finishes, the 23-year-old wrestler from Rohtak rose to the occasion. Before flying down to Brazil, Sakshi had no idea what a career in wrestling could give her in the future. She took to wrestling for she wanted to travel in an aeroplane. Yes! All that she wanted to do was to train hard so that she could sit in a flight and travel the globe.

Sakshi was born on September 3, 1992 to Sudesh Malik and Sukhbir Malik in Haryana, a state known for female genocides. Sakshi’s parents supported her from a very young age despite their villages ridiculing them for letting a female child take up a sport in which one had to train with male wrestlers.