Many have expressed their displeasure over India's performance at the Paris Olympics as the country with 1.5 billion people has not secured any gold medal. India sent a strong 117-member contingent to the Paris Olympics 2024 and the nation expected that the athletes would better the records it created during Tokyo Olympics. However, India's medal contenders like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Mirabani Chanu, and more could not live up to the expectations. Even Neeraj Chopra who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 had to settle for silver after Pakistan Arshad Nadeem bagged gold in the Men's Javelin Throw final. Now, 21-year-old wrestler Reetika Hooda is India's last hope to secure a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Reetika Hooda has showcased a glimmer of hope to India's gold expectations after she defeated two-time European Championships medallist Bernadett Nagy of Hungary 12-2 via technical superiority to enter the quarter-finals of the women’s freestyle 76kg category in the Paris Olympics on Saturday. Now, the question arises who is Reetika Hooda? Below is all about Reetika Hooda-
Who is wrestler Reetika Hooda?
Hailing from Haryana’s Kharkda village, Reetika Hooda is representing India in the women’s freestyle 76kg category in the Paris Olympics. Reetika opted for wrestling at the insistence of her father, Jagbir Hooda. Reetika was quoted saying, "I loved sports since I was a kid, but I did not plan on becoming a wrestler. I started out playing handball, where I used to be a goalkeeper. I also played kabaddi. My interests predominantly were in team sports, but my father insisted that I pursue wrestling. He was of the opinion that team sports might not earn me much success because it is dependent on the collective, whereas in an individual sport like wrestling, success is dependent only on my work."
As per reports, Reetika wanted to make her career either in handball or kabaddi, however, after her first day of training in wrestling she understood that it was the right sport for her."Right from the first day, I have enjoyed wrestling and wanted to progress. Since I loved doing what I was doing, no one has had to push me to train harder. That calling came from within. What also helped was that my great-grandfather and my uncles were wrestlers, so I could turn to people in my family for help and guidance," Reetika Hooda was quoted saying.
As per reports, Reetika Hooda's wrestling journey began at Rohtak’s Chhotu Ram Stadium, the same place where Sakshi Malik once trained. Reetika in an interview revealed that she is highly inspired by Sakshi Malik, especially when she qualified for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Ritika's father Jagbir Hooda after her daughter's entry into the Paris Olympics quarter-final said, "My daughter has put in 14 years of hard work in 8 years. There is no shortage in her preparation. We are hopeful of winning gold. Expenses are covered in sports. We have provided everything for Ritika.'
Ritika started wrestling at the age of 9. Before going to Paris, Ritika Hooda had said, "When she was not selected for the Commonwealth and Asian Games, she had decided to quit wrestling. Her parents encouraged her to play wrestling."
Reetika will now take on top-seed Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinal match around 4:25 pm IST on Saturday.