Sakshi Malik included in Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2024

Olympic medalist Malik has been included in the icons category.

Indian wrestler and Rio Olympics bronze medallist, Sakshi Malik, has been recognised by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2024. Malik, also a CWG gold medallist, found a spot in the icons category for being at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest and fight against the alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of female wrestlers at the hands of ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Alongside Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik led the protests against Brij Bhushan, who was later charged with sexual harassment, stalking, and intimidation — allegations he continues to deny.

“This fight is no longer only for India’s female wrestlers. It is for the daughters of India, whose voices have been silenced time and again,” Sakshi had said when the protests began at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in January 2023.

The wrestlers’ protest caught attention of the country with support also coming from other parts of the world. The wide protests and pressure from political peers led to Brij Bhushan stepping down as the WFI chief. However, his close ally and business partner, Sanjay Singh, was soon appointed as the new WFI president.

Following the elections, Sakshi Malik announced an emotional farewell to the sport, saying wouldn’t want to wrestle with Singh as the WFI chief.

Sakshi Malik rose to prominence during the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where she managed to win a silver medal. However, she became a household name during the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she secured a bronze medal in the 58kg category. She got her hands on the medal via repechage after she lost against Valeria Koblova of Russia in the quarterfinals.

Malik defeated Asian champion Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan 8-5 in her bronze medal bout, and with that, she became the first Indian woman to reach the milestone.

In 2016, she received the Prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, and one year later, she was given the Padma Shri, which is the fourth-highest civilian award in India.

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