39-year-old wrestler Nirmala Devi keeps Olympics hopes alive
Veteran Indian wrestler Nirmala Devi won the 50kg final in the Senior Women's Nationals on Sunday, defeating 23-year-old Neelam by a fall in the final bout of the competition.
The 39-year-old spoke to The Bridge after winning final and was quoted as saying:
"I don't know what I would do if not for wrestling."
Nirmala's career has been full of ups and downs, having faced multiple injuries and undergone several surgeries over the years. Moreover, the recovery phase has also not been easy for her.
Despite all the challenges, she has won a total of 16 medals at the senior level to date. Nirmala won her first gold medal at the senior level back in 2002.
She returned to the Senior Women's National after two years, having undergone knee surgery. Speaking about the rehabilitation, she said:
"It is tough to come back at this age, especially in the sport of wrestling. I have done more than 12 hours of rehabilitation every day to maintain my body."
The Commonwealth Games silver medalist dreams of representing India at the Olympics.
"I have just one dream and that is to represent India at the Olympics. Despite playing for so long, I haven't been able to fulfill that for some reason," she added.
Nirmala didn't sustain an injury just before the Olympic qualifying tournaments last time and thus had to miss out. However, the 39-year-old is hoping to do so this time around.
“Last time I had an injury just before the Olympic qualifying tournaments. So I could not participate. Hopefully, this time I will make it," she concluded.
How many medals has Nirmala Devi won in major wrestling tournaments?
The 39-year-old wrestler has clinched seven medals representing India in the women's freestyle wrestling. She won three gold medals at the 2005, 2007, and 2013 Commonwealth Championships in the 48kg category.
Nirmala won a silver medal at the 2009 Commonwealth Championship and the 2017 edition of the tournament in the 48kg and 50kg categories, respectively. The Haryana-born athlete also won a silver medal in the 50kg category at the 2020 Asian Championships in New Delhi.
The Indian wrestler bagged a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.