Ahead of the wrestling dangal in Panipat, Gursharan Preet Kaur had to decide whether to compete at the event which had a total prize money of Rs 1 crore or attend her brother’s marriage on March 23. After much deliberation, the Punjab wrestler decided to skip the wedding.
The trip to Panipat was worth it in more ways than one as she won the final of the women’s 72 kg category, defeating national champion Kiran 5-1. She was awarded Rs 10 lakh for winning the gold medal. Her bouts, including the final, were one-sided and barring one, she won all her bouts via technical superiority.
“Even if there was no money, I would have come,” Kaur said after the final. “But I wanted to come to wrestle. I have missed the sport for too long.”
The 35-year-old is making a comeback to the sport after being away for seven years, having last competed at an inter-police competition in 2012. Her face wears a worn-out look because of the regular grind on the mat and partially because of working the fields in her village.
In the time she has been away from wrestling, Kaur hasn’t had it easy. She was banned for nine months by the National Anti-Doping Agency after a failed dope test in 2013 and later married a Punjab Police constable who was a drug addict. Two years after their marriage, the husband Sandeep Singh filed for divorce and asked Kaur to leave their home.
“He used to beat me when I used to train especially when I did it with boys,” Kaur says, with tears in her eyes. “They did not give me food and I was like a dead person.
“My in-laws told me that they wanted to have a boy and when our daughter was born, they beat me again and asked me to leave. My husband told me I have to choose between him and my daughter. I chose my daughter.”
“I have to travel to Amritsar whenever the hearing is. For that I have left my daughter with my mother because I cannot travel with her everywhere.”
With her daughter, who is now five, growing up and with a case to fight, money became another hurdle. To overcome that she decided to wrestle again and in May 2018, began training at the Punjab Police Academy, Jalandhar.
Her first competition was the senior national championships in December last year where she finished fourth after losing a close bronze-medal bout. That, however, did not deter her from trying again.
Recently at the All-India Police Games in Jaipur, Kaur won the gold medal in the 72 kg category and then, won a local dangal in Punjab. In Panipat, she was the favourite to win the gold medal.
“It’s good to be back. Wrestling gave me everything and I have once again fallen to this sport to help me. I have nothing to lose now and I am free to do anything,” she says.
Kaur continued to train in both sports. She even threw the hammer 56 metres in the Punjab Police trials – not bad when one considers that the national record is 65.25 m – but decided against participating in the All-India Police Games.
“The national games were going to be held in Jalandhar. The prize money was Rs 100000 for the gold medallist in wrestling. I defeated Sonika Kalliraman there again,” she says.
There was no turning back from there. Kaur went on to represent India for 11 years and finished fourth at two Asian Games in 2006 and 2010.
“Internationally I have represented India 33 times but won medals in just 11 competitions. At five Asian Championships, I have finished fourth. Those days, women’s wrestling wasn’t given much preference.” she says.
Now, Kaur hopes that she can return to her peak form.
