Wrestler’s Dad Took a 13 Lakh Loan For Her Training. She Had a ‘Golden’ Payback

Navjot Kaur scripted history at the 2018 Asian Wrestling Championship by defeating Japan’s Miya Imai 9-1 in the final to emerge as a champion in the women’s 65kg category.

You can read about her past achievements and more details about her final match here.

While the 28-year-old wrestled her way to success, her real strength came from her supportive family which belongs to the Bagaria village in Punjab.

Sukhchain Singh, Navjyot’s father, is a humble farmer who toils in his land and does everything in his capacity to fulfil the dream of his children.

Both his daughters, Navjot and Navjeet, are wrestlers while his son, Yuvraj was an aspiring cricketer.

The whole family came together to support Navjot in her dream, and now she has shown what she is capable of achieving!

“Our happiness knows no bounds,” exclaimed Sukhchain. “She has made the nation proud. Now, I want her to bring home an Olympic medal!”

Navjot’s training as a wrestler required a lot of monetary investment. Her regular practice sessions, diets, travel etc. cost much more than her family could afford independently. Navjeet told Times of India that international women wrestlers usually need at least Rs 1 lakh per month for their training purposes, but Navjot managed with Rs 50,000.

Even then, the family had to borrow money to keep up with her training sessions, and has taken bank loans of up to Rs 13 lakh!

Navjeet, a former wrestler gave up the sport after a series of critical injuries. Navjot’s brother, Yuvraj too, gave up his dream of playing cricket professionally, to help his father on their farm. All so that they could save enough for Navjot, who was offered a job as a senior clerk in railways when she bagged a bronze medal for India in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The power of determination, strength and exceptional family support is evident from Navjot’s story. Although her family could have asked her to pursue a different profession due to their financial conditions, as well as the social pressure that a woman wrestler faces in India, they did not. They came together for their child who today has successfully made not only her family but a country of over a billion people proud!

Navjot’s achievements can hardly be described in words. We salute her family without whom, perhaps, this victory might never have happened!

Here’s a video of the match by United World Wrestling:

Several women wrestlers have been shattering glass ceilings and making India proud. From gymnastics to kick-boxing and basketball, these women have won it all. Read about them, and more sportspersons from India in our sports section.

Edited by Gayatri Mishra

Featured image source: United World Wrestling.

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