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Sakshi Malik, the Indian female wrestler only came to limelight when she won the bronze medal at Rio Olympics 2016. She not only made the entire nation proud but inspired an entire generation of sportspeople, especially women to go forth and pursue their dreams of being world champions. But her victory wouldn’t have been possible without the endless support of her coach, Ishwar Dahiya who talked about how he had to put up with protests from locals against a women playing a sport that was ‘not for girls’. Though wrestling does not discriminate against gender -the bitter reality is that all wrestlers in this country are struggling; the female quota slightly more affected due to societal pressures. Overcoming such obstacles is one more coach by the name of Awadesh Yadav who is fulfilling the dreams of 18 women wrestlers aiming to win a medal for the country in the Olympics.
In a rather nondescript village of UP, called Nibi, 1.5 km from Azamgarh, girls aged between 15-22 are learning how to wrestle at the Lalsa Krishak Inter College. Their coach, Awadhesh Yadav, the founder manager of the inter college started training female grapplers in 2010.
“When I started training the girls, some of the locals made fun of me. But I ignored their taunts and resolved to stick to the task. My resolution paid off and now there are 18 girls in the arena,” coach Yadav, who introduced wrestling at the college, told Hindustan Times. His efforts of building a wrestling arena in the college premise as well as introducing the sport to the girls has converted the undistinguished village into a wrestling hub.
Many of his gritty students have gone to compete at the national level and won many medals. “Practice is the key to attaining expertise. Luckily, I have got a guru whose dedication inspires us and we will do well,” reported the Hindustan Times quoting Ragini Yadav , a teenager wanting to make a mark as a grappler.
Given their strong wrestling profiles they have even gone on to secure government jobs under the sports quota. Sushma Yadav, one of the wrestler that trains under Awadhesh Yadav did well in various wrestling competitions and got a job in the Border Security Force (BSF) under the sports quota, reported the Hindustan Times. Other girls who went on to secure government jobs are Heena Yadav, Ruby Yadav and Jyoti Yadav from the nearby villages.
In a country where the infrastructure of combat sports is as it is weak and where gender discrimination is rampant, Awadhesh Yadav’s efforts are truly inspiring and path-breaking.
You can read the entire report by Hindustan Times here.
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