New Delhi: Under the scanner for her below-par performance in the run-up to the Asian Games, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik is feeling the heat but insists that athletes always aim for medals so that fingers are not pointed at them.
The 25-year-old from Haryana had to settle for a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in April and recently crashed out of the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul before reaching the medal round.
She along with three other wrestlers (Vinesh Phogat, Sushil Kumar, Bajrang Punia) were exempted from the trials for the Asian Games but recently WFI officials told media that it was a cause of concern for them that both Sushil and Sakshi are not in form.
I need to be strong mentally and get better to win a medal in the Asian Games. I have been advised to meditate and develop positive thinking and think about my strong moves
Sakshi Malik
“We want to win medal every time we step on the mat. Only we know how we face people when we return without medal. It becomes so tough to answer when people ask questions,” Sakshi said in an interaction after her training session in Lucknow.
“We also want to perform well so that no one can point fingers at us and that we face no questions for which we have no answer.”
Sakshi conceded that recent results are not according to expectations but asserted that it was not due to lack of effort. “After Rio, I have done well in many championships. There are always ups and downs in athletes’ life but we always try to give our 100 percent and bring laurels for the country. There is no lack of effort during training,” she said.