Wrestling
How Shivani Pawar went from football and athletics to winning World U23 Wrestling silver
Shivani Pawar started off her journey in sports with football before moving to athletics and then found her calling in wrestling.
Shivani Pawar (Source United World Wrestling)
Shivani Pawar joined a select list of Indian wrestlers including the likes of Tokyo Olympic medallists Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and others to become only the seventh Indian to clinch a world under-23 silver medal yesterday night.
Having reached the final with a victory by fall in the semifinal against Russia's Maria Tiumerekova, Pawar faced a similar fate in the final being pinned by USA's Emily King Shillon to settle for the second spot on the podium.
Though Shivani Pawar has established herself as one of the stars to watch out for in the near future with her splendid run in Belgrade, did you know wrestling was not her focus sport when she started off?
Yes, Shivani Pawar started off her journey in sports with football before moving to athletics and then found her calling in wrestling.
Hailing from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Pawar got her first taste of sports when she joined a summer camp and played football. There has been no looking back since for the 'studious girl' and she was hooked to the idea of continuing in sports.
"I was a studious girl and first played football at a summer camp. It made me interested in sports and I took up athletics soon after. I got an opportunity to give trials for wrestling. This was my road to Madhya Pradesh Martial Arts Academy," Shivani was quoted as saying by the Free Press Journal.
Shivani Pawar was drafted into the Indian contingent for the World U23 Wrestling Championships after she was crowned the national under-23 champion in 50kg at the National Championships held in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh last month.
Pawar's rise to the top in sports can largely be attributed to constant support from her family. Such has been her influence that even her younger sister, Ritika, has taken up wrestling.