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Five years ago, Nitika Sansanwal started training to become a wrestler without any idea of where she would go. Now, the second-year BA Political Science and Food Technology student from DU’s Bhagini Nivedita College, has won the bronze medal in the Under-23 category at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Nitika is the oldest of two children in her family, which hails from Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri and moved to Delhi before she was born.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Nitika said, “I started practising five years ago. My father used to wake me up early in the morning and make me run. One day, he took me to the Najafgarh stadium, and I just started training even without knowing where this would lead to. My father was a wrestler too. It is in our family.”
Nitika’s father had also represented the country internationally but quit wrestling due to a neck injury a few years ago. He is now a CRPF personnel, posted in Chhattisgarh.
“Since my father keeps getting posted in different states, my mother stood as a pillar by my side… She drops me to practise at the stadium twice a day, takes care of me and my diet and has sacrificed a lot in life to see me succeed,” Nitika said.
Nitika’s mother, Sunita (37), who is a housewife, also shares her daughter’s dream — to see her win the Olympic gold for India.
“I drop my daughter to practise at 5 am, cook, take care of her, bring her back home, help her rest and drop her back at practice at 4.30 pm every day. Nitika can balance both her wrestling and education very well…,” said Sunita.
Virendra Dahiya, who has been the wrestler’s coach since the beginning, also spoke about her mother’s support. “With Nitika’s father away on duty, it is her mother’s sacrifice that plays a huge role… Her mother made sure she prioritised her daughter’s career. She also learnt how to drive a scooter just so that she could drop Nitika off to practise daily,” he said.
Dahiya explained how Nitika coped with an injury at a wrestling match in Budapest. “Nitika had a minor ankle fracture. Despite being admitted to hospital… she was constantly motivated to get back, play and win it…,” he said.
Nitika highlighted the importance of mental health: “I think it is important for sportspersons to have strong mental health… if you are not mentally strong, you won’t be able to play the game with thousands of people watching you… I had immense help from my therapist and family while I was recovering, which made me realise how important it is to prioritise mental health to perform well.”
“I have seen my father suffer through an injury too, but that did not scare me; it only taught me that being strong in mind and working hard is the only way out,” she added.
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