Wrestling is a game of skill and technique, not just brute strength. This is something that gets reinforced in the minds of spectators when a 17-yr-old girl beats male wrestler who is not only much bigger, but also experienced. When this happens in India that 17-yr-old girl does more than set precedence, she also wins hearts, which is exactly what Neha Tomar is doing.
A Surprising Challenge, An Unprecedented Win
Hailing from Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, the teen joined a wrestling event hosted in Jogi Navada where she succeeded in beating all the female participants. Eager to show the crowd that female wrestlers were “no less in strength and can be equally good at the sport”, Neha surprised everyone when she started challenging the men to a match.
The wrestling competition has been an annual event since 1972. However, there are no known cases of male and female wrestlers competing against each other. Therefore, it was a challenge that every male in the arena ignored until one finally took notice.
The decision of the male wrestler to fight with her was so unusual that the judges had to make an “exception to the rule”. In fact, Sunil Sharma, the event’s coordinator admitted that they allowed the match merely to avoid hurting the teen’s feelings. The rest, as they say, is history.
Onlookers watched in awe as the teen surpassed her opponent in skill and agility. Then, in approximately 10 minutes, the match ended in an unprecedented win that no one expected. The spectators and judges were nothing short of shocked but an elated Neha was not.
In fact, she was confident of her ability to win. While the future in uncertain, Neha has certainly proved that she is capable of holding her own in the male-
oriented sport, against both men and women.
The president of the Jogi Navada Ramlila, Suresh Rathore, has since expressed his wishes to see the teen become a successful wrestler for the country.
If anyone is still wondering why this unexpected turn of events is a big deal, the answer is simple. Not only is Neha the first woman known to compete with a man since the event’s inception, she is also the first known female to challenge one.
This also makes her the first woman to win against a man in the event’s 72-year history. The fact that she is some 16 kg lighter than her opponent, Sonu Pehlwan (also of Uttarakhand) is just another reason she wins hearts each time her story is told.
Source: indiatimes.com
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