Five things you need to know about Anshu Malik

The young female wrestler has already written her name in the history books.

India produces brilliant wrestlers every year and the last decade has been vital in terms of upcoming female wrestlers. There is an army of exceptional young female wrestlers emerging from the country, who are representing the nation proudly. Among them is Anshu Malik, who has already become the first female wrestler to win a silver medal at the World Wrestling Championships. 

The grappler is merely 20-years-old and is already becoming a sensation. While it is still early stages in her career, the potential of the freestyle wrestler is immense. Anshu Malik has already recorded notable achievements in her career. Hailing from the Jind district in Haryana, Malik is travelling all over the world, keeping the Indian flag flying high.

The youngster is fast becoming a well-known figure and is already well-respected among her peers. There is still a lot to know about the wrestler, who is focused on fulfilling her ambitions in the forthcoming tournaments. 

Here are five major things one needs to know about the upcoming young phenomenon Anshu Malik:

Gold Medal at World Cadet Championships

Anshu Malik, as mentioned before, has already won several honors at the international level. She is considered as a dangerous upcoming competitor due to her performances at the junior level. Her first breakthrough performance came during the 2017 World Cadet Championships. She won the gold medal in the 60kg freestyle category. 

Malik had previously won two bronze medals at the World Cadet Championships, before winning the gold. The wrestling fraternity, especially in India, began to take note of Anshu Malik after her gold medal-winning performance in Athens, Greece.

Comes from family of wrestlers

A lot of Indian wrestlers have the sport ingrained in their genes. The country has the famous Phogat family which has produced impressive grapplers like Geeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat and more. Similarly, Anshu Malik also comes from a family of wrestlers. 

Anshu's father Dharamveer Malik competed at the international level in the junior category during the 1990s. Her brother was also an enthusiast of the sport and she took a liking to wrestling through him. Furthermore, unlike most sportspersons who dedicate their lives to their sporting careers, Anshu Malik was also a bright student. She used to top her class often and was quite bright in academics.

Silver medals at Individual World Cup and World Junior Wrestling Championships

Anshu Malik also has many medals from international competitions in her kitty. She won her first major silver medal at the World Junior Wrestling Championships back in 2018. She secured the silver in the 59kg category during the event which took place in Trnava, Slovakia.

In addition to the silver in Slovakia, she also bagged the silver medal at the Individual World Cup. The tournament was held in Belgrade, Serbia in 2020. She was also the only Indian to earn a podium finish in the tournament. 

Two-time Asian Championships medalist

Anshu Malik has proved her mettle at the Asian Championships on two occasions. The youngster managed to bag a bronze medal at the 2020 Asian Championships that were held in New Delhi, India.

She went a step better at the next edition. Malik managed to win the gold medal, her first at a major international event, during the 2021 Asian Championships held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She has made a name for herself and is a feared opponent in the Asian circuit.

First Indian female wrestler to win silver at World Championships

Anshu Malik achieved her biggest feat recently with a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships in the 57kg category. Most importantly, she became the first female wrestler to win a silver medal after becoming the first to enter the gold medal bout of the tournament. Many notable female wrestlers have won a World Championships bronze before, but not silver. 

While Anshu will be bitterly disappointed on losing the gold to Helen Maroulis of the USA, she will take positives from the tournament. She became the first medal winner at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway. 

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