19-Yr-Old UP Girl Defeats 21-Yr-Old Male Wrestler From Uttarakhand

Girls across the country are debunking the myth that boys are physically stronger than them. In one such instance, 19-year-old Payal Sharma defeated 21-year-old Sanjay Pehelwan from Uttarakhand in a wrestling competition. Interestingly, it took just 4 minutes for the girl to overpower her opponent.

The fact that a match was being conducted between a male and female wrestler was enough to infuse excitement in the air. Moreover, the girl was participating in a competition for the first time. The crowd greeted her with a thunderous applause after her victory.

Payal is an MA student. She has been wrestling since the age of 12. She tells TOI, "A female wrestler realises her strength after taking on men. I have defeated male wrestlers in akhadas and small events in the past. When I came here, I was confident that I would win."

Also: Geeta Phogat Dreams Of Setting Up Academy To Train Girls In Wrestling

Family Background

Payal's grandfather was a wrestler. She would listen to his wrestling stories and that's how her inclination towards the sport grew. Her father works as a farmer and her elder brother is pursuing MBA.

Payal's family has been very supportive of her decision to be a wrestler. She has also participated in an Asian championship held in China in 2016.

The young wrestler idolises Rashmi Tyagi who won a silver medal in a wrestling competition in Russia. Rashmi's father is her coach.

ALSO: Sakshi Malik is the wrestling director of Rohtak university

Future plans

She aspires to win a medal in Olympics and has even started preparing for it.