The lockdown caused due to Coronavirus pandemics has disrupted the fiery training schedules of wrestlers. At a time when they were supposed to be sweating it out on the mat and preparing for the Olympics, the grapplers worldwide are now at their homes waiting for the things to normalize. But amid all the chaos, the athletes have still managed to find unique ways to keep themselves fit and well-conditioned. While some have resorted to training by climbing trees, some have found unusual sparring partners to practice the techniques.
Here are some of the wrestlers who have found unusual ways or training partners:
Erica Wiebe: The 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallist is in self-isolation in her home in Calgary, Canada. And while it is advised to maintain safe distance and train individually, she has found a sparring partner in her dummy.
In a recent video posted by her, she took the dummy out in the open and practised some wrestling moves with it in the snow-covered park.
Naina: She is the U23 Asian Champion in 2019. Naina trains in the backyard of her house with her brother. She practices mat training and even sometimes endurance training with him.
Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov – The Kyrgyzstan wrestler believes that one day he will become a champion. The reason for it is because ‘mama trains him’. He is the U23 world champion. In a video posted by him, Ulukbek goes to the kitchen where her mother can be seen cooking. He starts to practice the move in a fun way. Initially, his mother is reluctant to join and just keeps laughing. But later she also joins the fun and reciprocates to her son’s enjoyment.
Zaurek Sidkov: The two-time world champion (2018 and ’19) is currently in Vladikavkaz, Russia. He posted a video training on the terrace. But it his sparring partner that is unusual. The 24-year-old can be seen training with a young wrestler. He practised single-leg hooks on him and then trains his defensive moves against his newfound partner.
Mensah Stock: The USA wrestler, unlike her counterparts, is training individually. But the training is rather unusual. She urged her fans to stay motivated and can stay fit by doing arm curls with water jars. She also demonstrated the same.
Natalia Vorobyeva: While other wrestlers found a sparring partner in a grown-up, the 2012 London Olympic Champion posted a picture of her running on the tracks. But she was not jogging alone. The Russian grappler’s son also ran with her on the tracks.
Sakshi Malik: India’s first-ever women Olympic gold medallist, Sakshi Malik has motivated many young wrestlers to emulate her performance at the grand stage. Now, she motivates people to stay home and stay fit.
