Anshu Malik Hopes For Another Training Stint In Japan Ahead Of Asian Olympic Qualifiers

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The wrestling trials for the Olympic qualifiers was surrounded by so much negativity that some of the positives from the event skipped many's attention. Anshu Malik and her dominance in the women's 57kg category remained a constant.

Fast turning her domestic rival and a capable wrestler Sarita Mor into a title pretender, Anshu Malik once again reminded the Indian wrestling fans that the 57kg is all but hers. A standout moment during their recent face-off was a stunning four-point move that broke the stalemate in the dying stages of the bout.

It was a pinched elbow lateral drop that left a charging Sarita in a state of shock. Anshu was ever surprised too as the athlete recollected that it was muscle memory from her one month of training camp in Japan's Nippon University.

"Ji bas ho gaya us time pe, Japan se training ka muscle memory samajh lijiye (It just happened at that time, it was all muscle memory from my training stint in Japan)," said Anshu after winning an Olympic qualifiers berth. "The training methods are different there and spending a month with them gave me some clarity on why they produce so many Olympic and World Champions."

Japan has a rich legacy in women's amateur wrestling that remains unmatched. The nation has won 15 of the 24 possible gold since women's freestyle debuted in 2004 Athens. Risako Kawai (two-time Olympic champion), Mayu Mukaida (reigning Olympic champion), Koari Icho (four-time Olympic champion), Yuyi Susaki (four-time world champion), Akari Fujinami (two-time World Champion) among others are the current batch of women's Japanese wrestlers who rules the roost.

And what could be better if one gets to spar with these names regularly in the build-up to the Paris Olympics? To the novice, having a quality sparring partner could turn out to be a decisive factor in winning a medal as they are the ones who help you train better and are important at pointing out mistakes that are only apparent during a duel. And in Japan, Anshu had little difficulty in finding one.

"In Japan, I never had any struggle finding a sparring partner," said Anshu, who was the lone foreign invitee at the Nippon University. "Despite being such big names, they made me feel welcome during the training sessions and offered to be sparring partners. Their hospitality wasn't limited to the mat too as they invited me over for dinner and took me around the city as well."

So, is it an experience that Anshu will like to have again? "Of course, yes," answered Anshu. "Efforts are already being made for me to go and train for another month until the Asian Olympic qualifiers (in Kyrgyzstan on April 19-21). We are hopeful of getting a go-ahead by next week!"