"Went From A Tin Roof To An AC Hall": Sakshi Malik On Life-Changing Olympic Medal

Rio Games bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik feels winning an Olympic medal not only transforms an athlete's life but also impacts society, creating numerous opportunities for children. Sakshi became the first woman wrestler to secure an Olympic medal, winning a bronze at the Rio Games in 2016. "An Olympic dream is not just an athlete's dream; it's the dream of an entire family. Winning an Olympic medal transforms not only the life of the athlete but also the lives of their family, society, and village," Sakshi said at a media event in Mumbai organised by JSW Sports on Friday.

The 31-year-old claimed that her home city of Rohtak has undergone several changes in terms of sporting infrastructure since her medal-winning run eight years ago.

"After my medal, significant changes occurred. The Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, where I trained, went from having a tin roof to becoming an AC hall. A stadium was even built in my village and named after me.

"An Olympic medal creates numerous opportunities, especially for children, allowing them to train in better facilities. The craze for wrestling in Haryana has surged. Everywhere you go, there's a stadium every ten minutes, and you'll find girls training in each one. The old mindset that girls couldn't wrestle has changed dramatically." With women wrestlers doing well on the world stage more and more girls are taking up the sport with an aim to attain Olympic glory.

"The misconceptions that girls are impure and shouldn't participate in wrestling have been debunked. Now, girls are proving that they too can excel in wrestling." Out of the six Indian wrestlers who have qualified for this month's Paris Olympics, five are female grapplers -- Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg),