Punjab: ‘Hope, Anshu Malik’s feat inspires rural girls’

JIND: Commonwealth Games silver medallist in 57kg freestyle wrestling (women) Anshu Malik hails from a farming family and her grandmother hopes her achievement would pave the path for more girls from rural Haryana to take up a sport.
Soon after she won the medal, on her birthday (August 6), Anshu’s parents and the residents of her village in Haryana’s Jind district, Nidani, distributed sweets to celebrate her feat.Locally, Nidani is called a khel gaon, a hub for sporting activisties.
Jind happens to have one of the worst sex ratios in Haryana, coming at 871 women for every 1,000 men.
Vedwati, the medallist’s grandmother, said her dreams had come true. “Anshu's mother wanted her to study but I always wanted her to be a player. I encouraged her to take up wrestling and she proved herself. Anshu made us proud; such achievements will give a path to girls in rural areas. We prayed for gold, but she missed that chance. Still, everyone is happy,” she said. In the fight for the gold medal, Anshu lost to defending champion Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye of Nigeria.
Villagers gathered at her home on Saturday morning to congratulate the family. “Such an achievement is a sign that girls are proving themselves despite all odds,” said Ramphal Dahiya , a social activist based in Jind.