From doubt to glory: Tapasya Gahlawat becomes U20 world wrestling champion

When Parmesh Gahlawat and his doctor wife Naveen Kumari were blessed with their first child in 2006, the family’s mood was sombre rather than that of unfettered joy. It was a girl child, and they named her Tapasya.

As has largely been the case in rural Haryana, the preference for sons is prominent. Parmesh, by his own admission, was disappointed as he wanted a son to carry forward his family’s legacy of producing wrestlers.

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His grandfather Chaudhary Hazari Lal was a renowned wrestler who competed in mud dangals at Khanpur Kalan village in Jhajjar, Haryana. Parmesh himself was a state-level wrestler and competed in several domestic events before an untimely injury put paid to his wrestling hopes.

Parmesh found motivation in the storied success of homegrown Phogat girls – Geeta, Babita and Vinesh – and their international achievements. He thought that if the Phogats could do it, so could his daughter. Consequently, he decided to raise Tapasya as a wrestler, aiming to fulfil his unfinished dreams.

On Tuesday, Tapasya not only made her parents proud but also brought immense joy to the nation by becoming the U20 World wrestling champion in Samokov, Bulgaria. She defeated the formidable defending champion Sowaki Uchida of Japan — who was unconquered in the last 40 international fights — in the semifinals, before rallying past Norway’s Felicitas Domajeva 5-2 in the final en route to the women’s 57kg title. It was the country’s first gold in the ongoing championships.

The semifinal against Uchida was a tough one, with Tapasya initiating a late takedown in the last five seconds of the bout to beat her Japanese opponent 4-3 on points.

“The entire family is proud of Tapasya’s achievement. She has proved that a girl child is no curse. Today, the same family members and village relatives who weren’t happy when Tapasya was born are queuing up outside my house to congratulate me for my daughter’s gold medal. When she called up after winning the title, I told her ‘tuney aaj wo kar dikhaya, jo acche acche ladke bhi nahi kar sakte (you accomplished something which even the boys can’t achieve). She has proudly carried forward the legacy of her great grandfather (Hazari Lal),” Parmesh told TOI over phone.

When Tapasya was 13, Parmesh enrolled her under coach Kuldeep Rana and Samiksha Kharb at Sonepat’s Yudhvir Akhara. It marked the start of the journey of Tapasya, the wrestler.

“They took good care of my child. They taught her the art of wrestling, and it was because of their efforts that Tapasya has become a world champion. I even built a small house near the akhara to be with Tapasya’s side,” Parmesh said.

Parmesh revealed that just a week before the U20 World, Tapasya lost her grandfather Ram Mehar Singh. It was a big emotional setback for her as she was very close to him. At that time, the 19-year-old Tapasya was at the national camp in Delhi preparing for the World meet and wanted to return home.

“He suffered a sudden heart attack. I initially didn’t want to tell her about his death, knowing that she was preparing for an important event. But later I told her and she wanted to come back home. She even wanted to skip the tournament. But my wife told her to go and compete and bring home the gold medal. That will be the best tribute to her grandfather. She did just that,” Parmesh added.
Kajal set for gold; Reena, Priya get silver
Young Indian wrestler Kajal produced two high-scoring wins to storm into the women’s 72kg final while Reena (55kg) and Priya (76kg) settled for silver medals on Thursday.


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