Meet Divya Kakran: 17-Year-Old Wrestler That Beats All Odds And Clinches Gold Every Time

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Perhaps, you may have seen a lot of women wrestlers but not like Divya Kakran, a 17-year-old wrestler hailing from a lower middle-class family in Gokulpur in East Delhi. In a game like Kushti which is primarily considered to a men’s business, she not only fights men but nails them to the ground every time she is caught in a tussle. Divya is no fresher to the world of Dangals, a traditional wrestling tournament. Her first visit to a dangal was with her father almost 10 years ago.

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How it all started?

It all started out in the need of money. Divya comes from a family or pehlwans or wrestlers. Her father Suraj was a wrestler who came to Delhi 25 years ago to make a fortune out of wrestling. Soon he realized that the game is tough and not possible without any financial support. When he was unable to fulfil his dream of becoming a wrestler he introduced his children – Divya and Dev – to the world of kushti.

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“I sell langots at various competitions, Occasionally, I would take Divya along to let her fight with women and earn money. On days when no woman turns up, I would let her fight with boys. The objective was that her fights would bring in money,” Suraj told Indian Express.

Since then Divya had fought in a number of Dangal tournaments. From Arari near Jhansi in UP to  Khedi Pul in Faridabad, from Banhore in Jammu, Ghumarmi in Himachal Pradesh where ever she went all end with a cry of “chit” — her male opponent sprawled on the ground, his shoulders flat against the earth.

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Divya is currently one of the most promising Indian junior wrestlers. In June this year, she won a gold medal in Asian Cadet and Women’s Wrestling Championship in 70 kg freestyle wrestling. Divya who is training at Prem Nath Akhara for the last couple of years said, “Being an olympian is my ultimate dream. I know there’s a lot of hard work involved but I was trained by late Olympian Prem Nath and I want to be like him.”

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From wrestling in mitti and mud to freestyle mat, Divya has come a long way and tells that there is still a lot to do. Her next feat came after a couple of months in August this year when she clinched bronze at Asian Juniors. Apart from wrestling, she is also a motivation speaker who mostly speaks at her local sain community meetings and encourages everyone to support women and give equal chance to the girl child.

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“I have never seen what a movie theatre looks like from the inside. But it doesn’t matter. As long as I am on the track and win the Olympic medal. I can do these things later on in my life,” she confidently said.

We salute your spirit Divya. You will definitely achieve your dream.

 

News Source: Indian Express

Featured Image: Indian Express



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