Sakshi Malik

Sakshi Malik’s journey as a professional wrestler on the international stage began in 2010, where she achieved her first success by winning the bronze medal in the 58 kg freestyle event at the Junior World Championships. She continued her winning streak at the 2014 Dave Schultz International Tournament, securing the gold medal in the 60 kg category. 

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she won the quarterfinal match against Edwige Ngono Eyia of Cameroon by 4–0. She proceeded to the semifinal, where she defeated Braxton Stone of Canada by a margin of 3-1 and guaranteed herself a medal. In the final, she faced Aminat Adeniyi of Nigeria in a closely contested bout, ultimately earning a silver medal as Adeniyi won with a score of 4–0.

At the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Malik defeated Anta Sambou of Senegal in the Round of 16 with a score of 4-1. At the 2015 Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar, Malik secured the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. While she faced a defeat in the first round against Luo Xiaojuan of China, she bounced back with a strong performance in the second round and defeated Munkhtuya Tungalag of Mongolia with a score of 13–0. Although she lost in the third round to Yoshimi Kayama of Japan, she claimed the bronze medal in the fourth round by defeating Ayaulym Kassymova of Kazakhstan.

Malik’s outstanding performance earned her a spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics after she defeated China’s Zhang Lan in the semifinals of the 58 kg category at the Olympic World Qualifying Tournament in May 2016. At the Olympics, she emerged victorious in her Round of 32 bout against Johanna Mattsson of Sweden and her Round of 16 bout against Mariana Cherdivara of Moldova. Despite a loss to Valeria Koblova of Russia in the quarterfinals, Malik collected a spot in the repechage round. 

Sakshi prevailed over Pürevdorjiin Orkhon of Mongolia in her first bout and ultimately won the bronze medal by defeating Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan with a score of 8–5 in the repechage medal playoff. With this achievement, she became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal. She continued her winning streak by claiming the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Sakshi Malik has received several accolades and honors for her remarkable achievements in wrestling. In 2017, she was bestowed with the Padma Shri, which is considered the fourth highest national honor in India. She also received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2016, the highest sporting honor in the country.

Malik has been rewarded with significant cash prizes amounting to over ₹5.7 crore (US$710,000) from institutions such as the Indian Railways, the Indian Olympic Association, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Government of Delhi. Additionally, she has been recognized and financially supported by various state governments including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, and private bodies like the JSW Group and political groups such as the Indian National Lok Dal.

Her exceptional performance and dedication to her sport led to her promotion to the rank of gazetted officer by her employer, the Indian Railways. In recognition of her achievements, the Government of Haryana also offered her a Class 2 job position. Moreover, she was granted a land area of 500 square yards by the Government of Haryana

Sakshi Malik currently serves as an employee of the Indian Railways, working in the commercial department of its Delhi division within the Northern Railway zone. She is also a part of the JSW Sports Excellence Program, which supports athletes in their pursuit of excellence. Following her remarkable bronze medal win at the Rio Olympics, Malik received a well-deserved promotion from senior clerk to the esteemed rank of gazetted officer.

Malik holds a master’s degree in physical education, which she completed at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak. In September 2016, she took on the role of wrestling director at the same university, In an interview shortly after her success at the Rio Olympics, Malik announced her engagement to fellow wrestler Satyawart Kadian, with their marriage taking place on April 2, 2017. Kadian himself is an accomplished wrestler, having achieved medals in prestigious events such as the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.