CHENNAI: Meenakshi Goyat was around six or seven years old when she got hooked on WWE. Second among four siblings (three sisters and one brother), Meenakshi is a huge fan of WWE star and Hollywood actor John Cena and used to imitate all his moves at home. She used to watch WWE with her father Prem Goyat, a small-time farmer from Chabri village of Jind district in Haryana. That obsession only grew with time as Meenakshi decided to pursue wrestling with her father standing by her side even if it meant borrowing money multiple times to fuel her dream.
In 2014 she was enrolled at the Nidani sports hostel and Meenakshi trained there till 2018. She then trained at various academies before arriving at Kuldeep Malik Wrestling Academy in Sonepat around three years ago. In 2018, she bagged a silver medal in the 53kg weight category at the Cadets World Championships and graduated to senior level a few years later representing the country in the international tournaments. Even as she was making rapid strides, Meenakshi always faltered when she faced Antim Panghal, Paris Olympian and two-time World Championship bronze medallist.
Given her pet weight category, Antim remained her bete noire till Tuesday. Having fought her thrice (all in 2023) and losing all the bouts, Meenakshi arrived at a conclusion that the results have nothing to do with her potential. Instead it's in her mind. "I lost three bouts to Antim. All of them were held during the selection trials including the one organised to pick the team for the 2023 Senior World Championships," Meenakshi told this daily.
Such was the impact of those defeats that she started doubting herself. "I was mentally down and started doubting myself. Then I started watching videos of multiple Olympic and World champion wrestlers. My family also stood beside me like a rock as they have more belief in me than myself. I started visualising and it helped today. Finally, I defeated her and booked a place in the national team for the Asian Championships," the 24-year-old wrestler said.
The continental meet is scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 6 to 12. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) organised the trials to select the teams in New Delhi and Lucknow. The trials for women wrestlers were held at IG Stadium in New Delhi while competitions for the men freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers were organised in Lucknow.
It was her father who initially helped Meenakshi in her practice sessions despite him not being a professional wrestler. She then started training with her younger brother Sachin. "My father had a firm belief that one day I will become an international wrestler and trusting his instincts, he even got my passport prepared way back. A wrestler needs a good diet and proper training and that demands a lot of money. He never allowed financial constraints to become an obstacle and always encouraged me to focus on my wrestling. 'Agar mujhe sab kucch bechna bhi pade to bech duga lekin tu pehelwani kar' (If I have to sell everything it will not matter, you focus on wrestling) was his response whenever I talked to him about the financial issues. This only motivated me to do better," said Meenakshi. The wrestler participated in the second Ranking Series held in Tirana, Albania last month. She finished second in the 53kg kg.
Meanwhile, Aman Sehrawat, who won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games, won the 61kg trials.
Selected wrestlers
Women's wrestling: Neelam (50kg), Meenakshi (53kg), Hanshika (55kg), Manisha (57kg), Neha (59kg), Mansi (62kg), Monika (65kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), Harshita (72kg), Kajal (76).
Men's freestyle: Ankush (57kg), Aman (61kg), Sujeet (65kg), Abhimanyu (70kg), Jaideep (74kg), Sandeep Singh Mann (79kg), Mukul Dahiya (86kg), Punit Kumar (92kg), Vicky (97kg), Dinesh (125kg).
Men's Greco Roman: Lalit (55kg), Sahil (60kg), Sunny (63kg), Sachin Sehrawat (67kg), Anil (72kg), Aman (77kg), Prince (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Joginder Rathi (130kg).
