Anshu Malik, 18, is at her home in Nidani village, Haryana, waiting eagerly for the women’s wrestling camp to resume. Returning to the national camp would mean access to mat training which is the most essential part of wrestling. And just like many other wrestlers, the youngster gets headaches due to missing out on it.
“One of the best things at the national camp is we can train on the mat. But now due to lockdown we are stuck at home and have no access to it. It is worrying and my only tension,” she says.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had suspended both men’s and women’s national camps in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Following this, all the wrestlers had returned home where they continued their training. While some wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik had access to best training equipment, others such as Anshu, and Navjot Kaur have found different ways to stay fit.
Anshu gets new challenge in Pinki for Olympic berth in 57kg
“I train with my brother. My father (Dharamvir Malik) also helps me in training. Currently, I am focussing on staying fit. Yes, no mat training is a worry but we cannot waste time thinking about it,” the Asian Championship bronze medallist told WrestlingTV.
Anshu is currently India’s best 57kg women’s wrestler. The grappler made her seniors debut in January at Rome Ranking Series where she won a silver medal. She replicated her medal-winning performance at the 2020 Asian Championship and secured bronze. Owing to her medal-winning performances, she had become the country’s official entry for the Olympic Qualifiers.
However, the outbreak of COVID-19 forced United World Wrestling (UWW) to postpone the qualification tournament. Later, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had pushed the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. Now, with a year to go, Anshu might again have to prove her mettle to secure the Olympic berth.
Her main challengers would be world medallist Pooja Dhanda, Asian Champion Sarita Mor and former Asian Champion Navjot Kaur. The 18-year-old, however, is not scared of the challenge.
She says, “One thing that these wrestlers do not have is time. I am still young and therefore I am not worried about the result. But they must be eager to prove their worth and grab the Olympic spot. So my age is my strongest ally”.
For now, she is making the most of her time at home. This is the first time in years that she has spent so much time with family and is loving every moment of it. “I do train every day. But I just love staying at home. This time will never return so I am making the most of it. We do all fun stuff like playing ludo or watching movies. I am just living the moment,” she concluded.
