Rio 2016: Sakshi Malik breaks dreadlock!

Wrestler Sakshi Malik celebrates after she beat Kyrgyzstan's Aisuluu Tynybekova to win the bronze in the women's wrestling freestyle 58-kg competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo: AP)

Gritty woman wrestler Sakshi Malik ended India’s painful wait for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games by clinching the bronze in the 58kg category, pulling off a sensational 8-5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova in the Play-off bout, here.

The 23-year-old from Rohtak became only the fourth woman athlete from India to win an Olympic medal as she earned the dramatic win after falling behind 0-5 in the do-or-die bout on day 12.

Weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari (2000, Sydney), boxer MC Mary Kom (2012, London) and shuttler Saina Nehwal (2012, London) were the only other women players from India to have won a medal at the Olympics.

Like in three of the four other bouts earlier in the day, Sakshi won the crucial bout after coming from behind. She, in fact, had lost 2-9 in the quarter-finals to Russia’s Valeriia Koblova in the fifth bout of the day before getting a second chance in repechage when her conqueror reached the final.

Sakshi’s victory brought cheers to the Indian contingent that had endured agonising 11 days without a medal.

Sakshi turned the tables on the Kyrgyzstan wrestler in the dying seconds of the bout as Tynybekova was in complete command in most part of the clash.

Tynybekova grabbed Sakshi’s leg and quickly earned two points before adding one more for the Indian’s passivity. She repeated her move and successfully bagged two more points to lead 5-0 at the break.

Sakshi could open the scoring only in the second period and got two points after throwing her rival down and out of the mat. She then managed to earn two points again with a similar move to bring down the margin to 4-5.

Thereafter, it was no looking back for the Indian girl and she took the opponent down to level the scores 5-5. But she did not stop there, eventually winnig the medal.

Factfile Born: September 3, 1992 Rohtak, Haryana Age: 23 years Event: 58 kg freestyle Father: Sukhbir Malik — Delhi Transport Corporation employee Mother: Sudesh Malik — government employee Coach: Ishwar Dahiya Medals: Bronze at the Rio Olympics Silver at Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 Bronze in Asian Championships at Doha in 2015 Bronze in Commonwealth Championship at Johannesburg in 2013 Cash rewards for rio show: Rs 2.5 crore from the government of Haryana, in addition to a state land grant. Rs 50 lakh from the Indian Railways, as its employee. Rs 20 lakh from the Indian Olympic Association Rs 15 lakh from the JSW Group Rs 1.01 lakh from Salman Khan. Awards: The Rani Laxmi Bai award from the UP government. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna from the Government of India.