Manvika Gautam, a 16-years-old girl won silver medal in the School National Games, 2020 in Kurash, Meerut, in January. It is also expected of her to play for International match after two months, however due to Covid19 there is a probability of postponement in the scheduled date.
Initially She had been a keen kabbadi player, however one day while playing kabaddi, she witnessed some boys practicing judo and she got fantasized towards it . She was thrilled by the agility and strength of the Judo sports players. Since that day, she started training herself under coach Ankit Kumar.
Prior to Kurash 2020 Championship, she has been twice a Gold medalist in the U-15 district wrestling competition, now is deliberately practicing for her International game which is expected to be scheduled in November.
Her journey started after completing her secondary education. Being a sports enthusiast she went through a trial of kabaddi game and was selected for kabaddi but it was her destiny which attracted her towards wrestling.
While talking to Mavericktimes, she mentioned that she used to practice in the malakpur sports stadium which is 10 km away from her home, and thus she travelled 10 km twice in a day. Despite this became a major challenge for her because usually society starts creating a perception as ” why this girl come alone? Why she goes so far for sports?
Apart from the society another tough task she had to face was convincing her family for the same. As they never took her game for serious. They never expressed their support and faith for her sport. Yet she gave her 100% and held the grip of being a champion. Despite this achievement, she is still awaiting for support from the government and her school.
Lastly, she added that at the earliest stage she was quite weak and was unable to practice for long but now she is capable of doing extra even in her daily workout. Her daily routine adds 300-400 pushups, 10 km running, and practicing the sport. As every player, during her practice she also went through several injuries, even post COVID she got fracture on her arm. The journey was never easy for her, but she never gave up on herself and maintained her confidence.
