After having a dry run on the international stage and facing drought of medals, time has been the best for Sakshi Malik. Also, there was a time when she was unable to beat the state-level wrestlers as well, which also took a toll on her confidence and wrestling career.
The Olympic medalist’s mental health had taken a bad hit and although she had backing of her coaches and parents, at one point of time she was also considering to quit the sport altogether.
However, winning the trials and qualifying for Commonwealth Games 2022 gave her a new reinvention of life. At the CWG 2022, Sakshi was victorious as she won the gold medal in the 62 kg category.
Recently, speaking at a webinar organised by Inspire Institute of Sports, she spoke on the importance of the mentors in sports.
“Importance of a mentor is huge. I can speak about one experience from my life. I had no one to speak to when I had my down period. Sports has its ups and downs. There were coaches and parents but a mentor can easily get you out of that mental trap. When I was on the verge of breaking down, was about to quit, a mentor could have helped me lift my spirits,” said the wrestler.
Moreover, Sakshi also expressed the importance of athletes completing their studies and gave her own example on the focus on education. She claimed of wanting to quit her studies to give more time on wrestling, although, her parents refused to take it into consideration and she is happy that her proposal was refused.
“Education is very important. I have studied in an English medium school right from the start. When I started wrestling, I had to manage the stress between playing the sport and going to tuitions and school. I told my parents that I want to quit studies and pursue wrestling but they did not allow me to do that,” Sakshi said.
“I now know the importance of those words. As today education comes really handy to me as I can deal with many challenges when I go abroad for tournaments. Whether it is speaking to someone or filling a simple form or basic understanding of things, I can easily do everything. Education is important as sports, it helps your confidence,” she said in her conclusion
