Countdown to Tokyo Olympics: Know your Olympian – Seema Bisla

Hailing from Haryana, the land of wrestlers, Seema Bisla took up the sport at a very young age. She hogged the limelight when she won her first senior national title in the 53kg category in the year 2017. Bisla won the bronze medal at the 2009 Asian Cadet Championships in Pune. She competed and won the 67 kg junior nationals 2012 as she went on to pick up successive bronze medals at the 2012 and 2013 Asian Junior Championships.

But her journey in the senior division was one filled with more down than ups. In her maiden World Wrestling Championship in 2018 appearance, she was knocked out in the very first round. The story was the same at the World Championships the following year too. The Asian Olympic Qualifications was yet another shock as she failed to grab her maiden Olympic berth.

Seema Bisla books her maiden Olympic berth

But that was the end of the streak as she went on to win her first international medal, a bronze at the 2021 Asian Championship. Seema Bisla followed it up with a gold medal at the World Olympic qualification as she booked her place at the Tokyo Olympics. The 29-year-old is the fourth Indian to qualify for the Games.

Seema booked her maiden Olympic berth after a close 2-1 win over European Championship bronze medallist Anna Lukasiak of Poland in the semifinal of the event. While she had a slow start, she stole two points with a take down and displayed her tremendous defensive game to hold on to the lead.

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“I want to win the medal in Tokyo and dedicate it to my father,” Seema Bisla

Seema shares that she aims to win a meal at the summer Olympics and dedicate it to her father. It was her father who not only inspired her to take up wrestling but trained her as a young girl. Seema informs that her father has been suffering from cancer for the last couple of years and she wants to gift the best there is in the sport.

“My goal right now is to win a medal in the Tokyo Olympics. I want to win the medal in Tokyo and dedicate it to my father. My father has been suffering from throat cancer for two years. I also want to win medals for the country in the Commonwealth and Asian Games after the Olympics. Because I have not been able to win a medal in the Commonwealth and Asian Games,” Seema told Global rumour.

When quizzed if she wants to go abroad to prepare for the quadrennial event, Seema shares that she would like to train under her coach, Paramjit Yadav. The ace grappler has often hailed Yadav for his contribution in her success and asserts that he is the best person to guide her ahead of the main event.

“I want to prepare under the guidance of coach Paramjit Yadav. I will train according to the way my coach and the federation will prepare the plan. The Federation has expressed complete confidence in me. Despite not doing better in Asian Qualifier, I was sent for World Qualifier. If the Federation did not trust me, I would not have achieved the Olympic quota,” she adds.

It will be the first time that four Indian women wrestlers will compete in the Olympics. In the 2016 edition, three Indian women wrestlers had competed. As of now, Seema is not being hailed as a big medal hope for India but the star grappler has proved time and again that she has the ability to take on the best in the business. And we hope that she continues her winning run at the summer games as India eyes a historic bounty of medals this time around.

Also Read | Tokyo Olympics-bound Indian wrestler provisionally banned following failed dope test

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