There’s no reason why women can’t do well in male-dominated sports: Mira Erda & Ishika Thite

A few years ago, if someone had said that a couple of girls from Gujarat would make their presence felt at the national level in motorsports and MMA, chances are high that she/he would have been greeted with ridicule and disbelief. After all, these are male-dominated sports and women in Gujarat aren’t known for their achievements in these areas. However, Mira Erda, with her numerous podium finishes till date as a racer, and Ishika Thite, Gujarat’s first professional MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter, are fast changing that perception. On Women’s Day, they talk to us about breaking gender stereotypes and dealing with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For me, finding a female training partner is a big struggle: Ishika Thite In 2018, I became the national champion (atomweight division) and after a couple of semi-pro fights, I turned pro in 2019. Just when everything was going great, COVID-19 struck in 2020 and it was a huge setback. Due to the protocols in place, it was impossible to find a training partner and I was relieved when things gradually opened up again. Ever since I took up MMA seriously, I have given it everything in spite of facing huge challenges. While it is a male-dominated sport, there’s no reason why women can’t do well. When I started off, fighters from Gujarat weren’t taken seriously because the opponents felt that they could easily beat us. But I started gaining respect once I started winning. The biggest challenge for MMA fighters here is that they are completely on their own and there is no infrastructure, no support from the government. Also, for me, finding a female training partner is a big struggle. No matter how good you are, training with guys while wrestling or BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) can be a bit out of your comfort zone. But I am happy that there is more awareness about female MMA fighters now and that makes me optimistic about the future.People would ask, “What is this girl doing behind the wheel?” Mira ErdaEver since I started practising at our karting track in Vadodara, I dreamt of becoming India’s first female Formula One driver. I was determined to prove that even women can excel at this male dominated sport. I started practising hard when I was 10 years old and my family has supported me to the hilt. However, there were the usual discouraging comments from a few people. Forget motorsports, there’s this wrong perception that women can’t be good drivers and there were people who would ask, “What is this girl doing behind the wheel?” But I always chose to ignore all that negativity and firmly focus on what I needed to do to become a better racer. Once I started competing against boys, it wasn’t a smooth ride initially because some of them would try to push me off the track. But I never lost sight of my goal and once I started doing well, the same boys started respecting me. Overall, it has been a journey full of excitement and new learnings. The pandemic came as a huge challenge because a lot of sponsors backed out and I couldn’t participate in races abroad. After a good 2020, 2021 was a very difficult year professionally and I faced technical issues too while competing. Mentally, it wasn’t easy and I had moments of self-doubt too. But the pandemic has made me stronger mentally and I certainly showed improvements towards the end of the racing season last year. So, I am confident that this year will be a good one for me. Today, I am glad that motorsports is no longer considered as an unconventional choice for women.