It's about hard work and not gender.
Geeta Phogat
Our akhara was very basic. It was just a little opening next to where the animals were tied. We had to first dig the soil with our bare hands, make it loose, before we could begin our session. I used to hate it. It also used to be either too hot or too cold. There were no mats, no mattresses, nothing.
Everyone should be allowed to participate in sport, because it helps you to become more confident. That is important for women in India, because we are not always treated as equals.
No sport is easy, if you spend time away it will be difficult to make a comeback.
Colorado Springs is a very good place to train ahead of the Olympics. We get to compete with different partners, learn different movements, we also get to improve upon our speed, which is very essential.
If all girls turn strong within themselves, men with bad intentions can be taught apt lessons.
Things are not going to change until Indian women, and their parents, stop being afraid of what society will say. This is the single biggest obstacle. The fear of what people will say and how this will shame their parents means that women are paralysed.
Fitness for us on match day is paramount.
I think staying away from wrestling for two years with injury and the movie, I lost my focus.
I come from a wrestling background - my father and grandfather were into wrestling.
In real life I have conquered my worst fears by fighting and beating bigger wrestlers in dangal. So I am not afraid of anything.
Film as a medium has a power that sports like wrestling lack.
Honestly, I have not done any preparation for 'Khatron ka Khiladi.'
There are a mix of good and bad people everywhere, be it Punjab, Delhi or Haryana.
After our life history was shown on the silver screen and much appreciated by the audiences, I have more of a responsibility on my shoulders now.
If you are not strong from inside you can never look beautiful from outside.
Wrestling is different from other sports. It is not just about physical strength. It is more of a mind game as during matches we have to read the mind of opponents and outwit them.
We did not had enough facilities in the village. My family was also not well off. There was no mat, no gym; we used to wrestle in the mud. It was very different from the national camps where I trained before the Commonwealth Games.
I will be even more strict than my dad, because look at me, I turned out fine.
Women sportspersons like Krishna Poonia and Seema Antil are role models for Haryanvi women.
I wear jeans and shorts. I travelled on my own to Mumbai for my knee surgery. I can go to Delhi when I want. Being a sportsperson helps me get away from the bhed bhav of Haryana.
You need a little bit of experience to do well in the Olympics.
Usually, it is the men who are given importance. But now, people view women wrestlers as equals.
We are proud to be role models.
Sushil is an experienced player, a big player.
It's not easy to juggle between studies and sports but yes, if you are clear about your goals and have passion, you can definitely succeed.
Till the time my body supports me and till the time I have that desire inside me to succeed, till then I will keep wrestling.
All young wrestlers would love to see their game back in Olympics.
Everybody at the Olympics are almost at level par.
Seeing my name in the newspapers after winning the national junior championship motivated me to win more medals and I have never looked back since then.
There was no roof where we trained, so it used to get very hot during the day and the mud used to feel very cold during the evening.
I come from a village where traditionally girls don't go out and play sport so I struggled a lot to come this far and to get to this position where I am at the Olympics.
My only aim is to win an Olympic medal.
I've seen the success of Mary Kom at the Olympics... We stayed in the same flat. If she can win a medal after being the mother of two, why can't I?
You should concentrate on the segregation of waste, especially kitchen waste. Only after segregation the waste becomes useful and it can be recycled.
When Aamir Khan was in Haryana, we met him and he was very respectful to my parents.
In my village, girls have limited opportunities. If they get admission in a college, only a few households would allow them to go for further studies.
Wrestlers from Japan and Canada are very tough.
It is extremely difficult to get a medal at the World Championships, even more than the Olympics. And when one is not 100 per cent prepared, it is next to impossible to win a medal there.
For an athlete, the country is everything.
Inner strength is very important.
My father, once he has decided on something, doesn't care about what anyone else thinks. All the men in our family swore at him for training us. His parents said he was mad. But he didn't listen.
My father gave us inner confidence. He taught us, as young girls, never to be scared.
I feel that Indian women are too frightened. They all say, 'I can't do this, I can't do that.' Worse, their families don't support them.
I believe that if I can qualify for the Olympics, I have the skills to compete at the highest level and do good for my country.
We had a very hard training during our childhood and I don't want to live it again.
One never knows how a bout is going to pan out and even in last 2-3 seconds things can change.
Sometimes it boils down to a move or two and that makes all the difference.
There were so many times when I felt like running away from the akhada. But now that we are bearing the fruits of all the hard work, we understand its value.
We have regularly won medals at all tournaments and I think after 'Dangal,' the craze for wrestling increased among the girls.
