Anshu Malik gets Paris Olympics preparation back on track with national title

For someone who has landed a World championships silver medal and has competed in the Olympics, winning a National title may not be a big achievement. But for Anshu Malik, who had a long injury layoff, becoming the National champion was a huge relief.

Anshu punched the air and could not stop smiling as she beat Worlds bronze medallist Sarita Mor 8-3 in the women’s 59kg final in the National championships here on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who had a troubled left knee due to a grade-2 ligament tear, preferred not to go for surgery. With good support from the Olympic Gold Quest, she travelled to Chennai to get rid of the nagging issue through rehab and be competition ready just in time in the Olympic year.

“I am 70 to 80 percent fit now. I am looking forward to attaining full fitness as I am going to train in Japan, which is the best in wrestling,” said Anshu, while thanking the Sports Authority of India and Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the support she is getting for her Japan trip.

Anshu was relieved to get some good competitive exposure and claim the gold medal here. “I had an elbow surgery after the 2022 Commonwealth Games and then a ligament tear of the knee. This National championship was important for me because this is an Olympic year. There are (Olympic) qualifying trials and I wanted to see where I am lacking. This final was important because I had lost to her (Sarita 4-6) in the Asian Games trials, where I was carrying an injury. It was important to return to the mat with a win.”

READ | National Wrestling Championships: Anshu defeats Sarita in 59kg final, Vinesh wins 55kg gold on return after knee surgery

The youngster, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to land a silver (in 57kg) in the Oslo World championships in 2021, said she did not want to tax her body by cutting down too much weight. “I chose 59kg here because after the injury I had put on weight. So the physio asked me not to lose too much weight because there could be the risk of injury. But I will now have to compete in 57kg (in the Olympic qualifier).”

Now, Anshu wants to make amends for her disappointing exit in the Tokyo Olympics. “Now my aim is to win a medal in the Olympics,” she said.