Born on September 3, 1992, Sakshi Malik is the first ever Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. She secured bronze in the Rio Olympics in 2016 in the freestyle wrestling 58 kg category and the very next year, was honoured by the Indian government with the Padma Shri Award, the fourth highest civilian award in the country.
The Olympic medal was not her only achievement in her career as she had starred in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Following her success in 2016 Olympics, Malik starred in Asian Championship and CWG as well bringing glory to the nation. Her only gold medal at the top level came in 2022 CWG in Birmingham as she won gold in 62 kg category.
Malik was born and brought up in Mokhra village of Haryana’s Rohtak district and her success at the highest level is certainly an inspiration for upcoming wrestlers. Malik won’t be featuring in the Paris Olympics 2024 as she announced retirement last year.
