Sakshi Malik is a famous Indian freestyle female wrestler. She came into the spotlight in 2016 after winning a bronze medal in the 58kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2014, she won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and in 2015, she won a bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha. In August 2016, she won a bronze medal in the 58kg category at the Rio Olympics, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal and the fourth Indian female athlete to win an Olympic medal.
Wiki/Biography
Sakshi Malik was born on Thursday, September 3, 1992, in Rohtak, Haryana, India (age 29; as of 2022). Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She had her primary education from Vaish Public School, Rohtak, Haryana and her secondary education from DAV Centenary Public School, Rohtak, Haryana. Soon after completing her schooling, she joined Mahesh Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak, Haryana to pursue a master’s degree in physical education.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′3″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Her father’s name is Sukhbir Malik and he is a DTC bus conductor. Her mother’s name is Sudesh and she works in Anganwadi.
Sakshi Malik’s parents
She has a brother named Sachin Malik.
Sakshi Malik’s brothers and parents
husband and children
On April 2, 2017, Sakshi Malik married Indian wrestler Satyawart Kadian.
Sakshi Malik and her husband
Profession
wrestling
In 2010, Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in the 59kg category at the World Youth Championships. In 2014, she competed in the Dave Schultz International Wrestling Championships and won a gold medal. In August 2014, she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. In 2015, she participated in the Asian Adult Wrestling Championships in Doha and won a bronze medal. In May 2016, she defeated her opponent Zhang Lan of China in the Olympic World Qualifiers and qualified for the Rio Olympics. In August 2016, Sakshi Malik defeated Kazakhstan’s Asuru Tenibekova at the Rio Olympics and won the 58kg bronze medal. In 2022, she won a bronze medal at the Tunisia Ranking Series in Tunisia, Tunisia.
# weekend mood 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒂😁@sakshimalik | @wrestling | @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/y81DgGTlMy
— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) June 10, 2022
On August 5, 2022, she won the women’s freestyle 62kg gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Sakshi Malik wins gold in women’s freestyle 62kg at 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Government officials
In 2016, Sakshi Malik was appointed by the Government of India as the Head of Commercial Division of Indian Railways, Delhi Division. Later, after winning a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, she was promoted from senior staff to officer. Sakshi Malik was appointed Director of Wrestling at Mahesh Dayanand University (MDU) in September 2016.
dispute
Protest against Brij Bhushan Singh
Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia staged a sit-in protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 18, 2023. According to them, WFI officials and coaches harass women. Vinesh Phogat accused the federation and WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing many girls and said:
Some coaches favored by the Football Association have also behaved inappropriately towards female coaches. They sexually molest girls. WFI president sexually harassed so many girls. “
Mr. Sharan Singh then responded to the allegations against him and the federation and asked why the wrestlers had not been around for the past decade, saying:
If this happens, I will hang myself. “
On June 25, 2023, the wrestlers announced their decision to stop protesting Brij Bhushan on the streets and fight it out in court.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
In 2016, Sakshi Malik was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. In 2017, she was awarded the Padma Shri.
Sakshi Malik received Padma Shri in 2017
After winning several wrestling medals, Sakshi Malik received cash awards totaling over Rs 57 crore (USD 750,000) from the Indian Railways, the Indian Olympic Association, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh , Uttar Pradesh and a member of the Indian National Lok Dal. Soon after she won a few medals in wrestling, the Haryana government granted 500 yards of land in her name.
Facts/Trivia
- Sakshi started wrestling when she was twelve years old. Her grandfather Badlu Ram was a wrestler. Her father encouraged her to take up wrestling.
- At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sakshi Malik became the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal when she won a bronze medal in the 58kg wrestling category.
Sakshi Malik after winning bronze in 2016
- Once, during a media conversation, Sakshi Malik told how her coach Ishwar Dahiya used to pick her up from home to the training ground during training sessions. She added that he had to face protests from locals as a result.
- Sakshi Malik has also walked the ramp at various events.
Sakshi Malik walks the ramp
- Sakshi Malik is trained by her private Ishwar Dahiya who started wrestling training at Akhara at the Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak when she was 12 years old. She later trained under Indian wrestler Mandeep Singh.
- According to Sakshi Malik, she had to fight with boys during wrestling training because girls in her area were not allowed to participate in the sport.
- In her spare time, Sakshi Malik likes to practice yoga and traveling to distant places is her favorite leisure activity.
- In an interview with the media, Sakshi revealed that her personal favorite medal is the silver medal she won at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
- She often appears on the covers of prominent Indian magazines and tabloids.
Sakshi Malik on magazine cover
- Sakshi Malik remains very active on various social media platforms. She frequently posts photos and videos of herself on social media. More than 573,000 people follow her Twitter account.
- On December 21, 2023, Sakshi Malik announced his retirement from wrestling. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh announced the news at a press conference after her assistant Sanjay Singh won the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) election. She also expressed disappointment that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports did not appoint a female candidate as president.
December 21, 2023: Sakshi Malik (right) and Vinesh Phogat (left) break down during WFI post-election press conference at Press Club, New Delhi
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education