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In a noisy environment where carefully selected ‘instructions’ are issued from all quarters and several wrestlers fall injured, Anshu Malik is an oasis of calm.
While wrestlers are taken to ambulances, some wrestlers compete in two different weight classes. Amidst the chaos, 22-year-old Ansh, carrying a pillow bag and her mother dutifully massaging her legs while she slept, was called to the mat by the organizers. waiting.
While the drama in the 50kg and 53kg categories was the talk of the day, Ansh still stole the spotlight. One of the most anticipated matches of the day, the 57kg final was a showdown between two athletes who had reached the podium at the world championships. Ansh is the silver medalist at the Oslo 2021 Games, while Sarita Mol is the bronze medalist in the 59kg category at the same World Championships. Category.
With just seconds left in the second period, tied at two, Moll took action against his domestic foe. That would be the plan to push Ansh off the mat after the bearhug. Mole was almost successful in his attempt, and was able to terrify his opponent.
But Ansh complied. Just when she was about to give up the point and maybe her entire game, she shifted her weight slightly to the right, lowering her stance. Ansh used her sustained momentum in the mole to lift her up, twist her and eventually throw her. It was a last resort counter, but when she later explained the move, she said it was due to muscle memory from a recent camp in Japan, where she spent time at Nihon University with several Olympic gold medalists. said.
“It’s difficult to get invitations to train in Japan. So when I got the opportunity to compete against their country’s world champions and Olympic champions, I was happy to take it,” he said at the 57kg division held at NIS Patiala on Monday. Ansh said after winning the trial.
“They enjoy wrestling. Their training sessions are calm. They give 100 percent in sparring. Last tak point, nahi de na hota hai aur jab cha rajata hai to hasneragte hain aur momi (They didn’t give any points until the end, but when they did, they laughed it off and started over.)
Exposure to the best
In Japan, the Indian world championship medalist sparred with four-time Olympic champion Kaoru Icho and gold medalist Yui Susaki in a family-like atmosphere.
Having attended camps in Europe before, I was always curious as to why Japan was such a strong force in women’s wrestling. Ansh believes that although Europeans and Indians may work a little harder than the Japanese, it is the latter’s system and discipline that allows them to consistently win Olympic medals.
“Even if they (ranked wrestlers) come second, third or fourth, they are really good,” Ansh said. “We Indians work hard, but we lack skill. Even today, I won my last match by throwing my opponent out of the ring, something I didn’t know how to do before. But after training with Japanese wrestlers, it’s become part of my muscle memory.”
And training wasn’t the only thing she was passionate about in Japan. Her fellow wrestlers insisted that she try her hand at Japanese food, which led her to develop an interest in foods such as sushi, ramen, and even udon. But the highlight was when double world champion Akari Fujinami invited Anshu and her father to her home for dinner.
“Just like my father always helps me train, Akari’s father also stays with her to make sure her training is going well. In Japan, everyone refers to her father as Papa. After listening to us for a few days, they started understanding the meaning of ‘beta’,” Ansh said.
On Monday, Ansh’s parents were also present as she cemented her place as India’s top female wrestler in the 57kg category, beating Railways’ Mol, Delhi’s Neha Sharma and Haryana’s Pooja.
If Ansh wins a spot for the Paris Olympics in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers or the World Olympic Qualifiers, one of these three will have to beat her twice to get that spot (Special Committee (according to the rules established by). All she has to do is stay calm as ever and let her muscle memory do its thing.
Olympic Asian Qualifying Women’s Team
50kg: Vinesh Phogat
57kg: Anshu Malik
62kg: Mansi Allawat
68kg: Nisha Dahiya
76kg: Reetika
53 kg* – Antim Panghal has already secured a spot for India at the Paris Olympics
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