From Kalyan to Hisar to World Championships, dhaba owner's daughter Vaishnavi chases Olympic dream
She outwits her rivals one by one to seal her place in the national team in the women's 65kg category for next month's Worlds, scheduled to be held in Zagreb.
Seeing her tactical acumen and solid defence, it is hard to believe that she has pursued mat wrestling for only four years and hardly has any big-tournament exposure in the past.
Usually, it is a transition phase from junior to senior level for Indian wrestlers, who get battle hardened by competing in domestic events, then move to the Asian level, add more exposure by gradually shifting to senior international tournaments, Asian championships and then comes the chance to compete at the Worlds.
The daughter of a dhaba owner in Kalyan in Mumbai, Vaishnavi, though has surged to top level in the country in double-quick time after beginning quite late.
"I started mat wrestling around the end of 2020. Before that I was doing only mud wrestling. When I saw Sakshi Malik win that medal in 2016 Rio, I decided what I needed to do, I just wanted to pursue this sport," Vaishnavi told PTI after outplaying Muskan 7-2 in the final.
"My father runs a dhaba and my mother is a housewife. My parents are managing everything for me. There weren't many good academies in Maharashtra, so I shifted to Hisar," said the 22-year-old, who trains under coach Jasbeer at the Sushil Kumar Akahada.
Vaishnavi idolises American wrestler Helen Maroulis, the 2016 Olympic champion, bronze winner at the Tokyo (2021)and Paris Games (2024), and seven-time Worlds medallist.
"She is an amazing wrestler. I watch her bouts on YouTube. I want to do well for myself and for the country. I am confident of winning a medal at the Worlds and eventually I want to win an Olympic medal."
Coach Jasbeer says discouraging Vaishbavi from visiting her home quite often in Maharashtra has brought about a sea change in her progress.
"She used to stay here for two-three months in Hisar and go back to her native place for two months. I told her parents that she needs to be at the training centre for one year. They agreed and she is a very dedicated wrestler, and the result is there," Jasbeer told PTI.
"She is very disciplined, she works very hard. We have good wrestlers at our centre and practicing with them has also helped her. She is technically sound and her counter-attacks are pretty good."
Interestingly, Vaishnavi began as a swimmer and even won two medal at the state level. Attending a felicitation function for wrestler and seeing the kind of respect the achievers got, hooked her to the combat sport.
"When she was in class IX, she said she wanted to become a fighter pilot and serve the country. We searched for training centres, but realising that her eyesight number was 9.7, we knew she wouldn't make it.
"We put her in swimming and one day she said she wants to change the sport. The centres were far away in Kolaba, Sangli, Satara and we did not want to send her too far. But seeing her passion, we introduced her to Jasbeer sir and sent her to Hisar," Vaishnavi's father Dilip Patil told PTI.
"Initially, her mother stayed with her, taking care of her needs. I run a dhaba near the bus stop in our village and all our earning go into her training. My bank balance is zero. I manage my house with some income from farming but all the dhaba earning is transferred to Vaishnavi.
"She showed promise quite early During her first competition, without much training she won a silver in the junior state competition and then won back-to-back gold. We speak to her only once, on Sunday as she is not allowed to keep a mobile phone by the coaches at the akhada," said Patil.
Moving to Haryana, Vaishnavi had to make a few adjustment as Maharashtra has a completely different culture.
"Most people do not eat non-vegetarian food in Haryana. They rely more on milk, curd, all these things. Ghee, almonds, and all dairy products have been added to my diet, though I continue to take non-veg food. I now understand Haryanvi as well," said Vaishnavi with a big smile.
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