sakshi malik

                                           Sakshi Malik 

Sakshi Malik (born 3 September 1992) is an Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 58 kg category, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics and the fourth female Olympic medalist from the country.She is a part of the JSW Sports Excellence Program, along with fellow female wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Babita Kumari and Geeta Phogat.

Malik had previously won the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the bronze medal at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha

Early life 

Malik was born on 3 September 1992 in Mokhra village of Haryana's Rohtak district to Sukhbir, a bus conductor with Delhi Transport Corporation, and Sudesh Malik, a supervisor at a local health clinic.^[12][13] According to her father, she was motivated to take up wrestling from seeing her grandfather Badlu Ram, who was also a wrestler.^[12][14] She began training in wrestling at the age of 12 under a coach, Ishwar Dahiya, at an akhara in Chhotu Ram Stadium,Rohtak.

Career

Malik's first success as a professional wrestler in the international arena came in 2010 at the Junior World Championships where she won the bronze medal in the 58 kg freestyle event.^[15] At the 2014 Dave Schultz International Tournament, she won gold in the 60 kg category.And after that she never stopped and maintained the passion and dedication towards the game.

Awards and recognition

• Padma Shri (2017) - fourth highest Indian national honour
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2016) - highest sporting honour of India
• Multiple cash prizes totaling over ₹5.7 crore (US$890,000) from the Indian Railways, the Indian Olympic Association, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Government of Delhi, various state governments, including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, from private bodies such as the JSW Group  and from political groups including the Indian National Lok Dal.
• Promotion to gazetted officer rank by her employer, the Indian Railways.
• Class 2 job offer from the Government of Haryana.
• 500 yd² land grant from the Government of Haryana.