There were many heartbreaks after the postponement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic. But unlike others, the 18-year-old Sonam Malik was happy with it. “It has given me time to get more experience at the senior level,” she says. The grappler is currently India’s best in the 62kg women’s wrestling and was the country’s official entry for the now deferred Olympic Qualifiers.
With a year to go, she might again have to go through a trial to prove her mettle. Her biggest challenger for the Olympic spot is India’s first women wrestling Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik. But the youngster believes with proper training she can defeat
“If I train hard, yes I can defeat her again,” the 2019 Cadets World Champion told WresltingTV.
Sonam came into the spotlight in January after defeating Sakshi at the national trials held in January for the Rome Ranking Series and Asian Championships. In a dramatic final bout, Sonam had defeated her senior counter-part on criteria, thanks to her four-pointer move in the dying seconds.
However, the lack of experience at the senior level gave the young wrestler a tough time as she failed to capitalize on the opportunity. She finished 18th at the Rome Ranking Series – her first senior tournament — and 5th Asian Championship. A no medal-finish meant she had to undergo trials for the Olympic Qualifiers. And again, she was pitted against Sakshi in the finals. Although Sonam managed to get the better of the Olympic medallist, she does realise that more hard work is needed to become the best.
Now, with time as her ally, she believes it will prove beneficial in many ways. “This time I will be prepared for better challenges. This postponement is like a silver lining for me. Training with seniors at the national camp will help me get better and stronger,” she told WrestlingTV.
Sonam is currently training with her father Rajender and elder brother Mohit at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Sports Complex in the native Madina village.
“I have access to the mat at the Sports Complex. My father and elder brother help me train as they both are wrestlers too”.
The 18-year-old is also in touch with women’s foreign coach Andrew Cook via WhatsApp. “He keeps sending us technical stuff to help us understand the sport better”.
Sonam was recently named in the Wrestling Federation India’s (WFI) list of wrestlers who will attend the national camp after lockdown ends. While she eagerly awaits to return to the SAI Centre, Sonam spends her time watching Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chasma (Indian comedy show), discussing strategies with her best friend Anshu and training. “I love watching TV. So that is what I do in my past-time. Besides this, I talk to Anshu and we discuss our strategies to become better,” she concluded.
