Wrestling runs is in my blood, says wrestling champ Ishika Kumar

Team L&M

“Some people play sports out of passion and enthusiasm, but for me, it is in my blood,” says Ishika Kumar, a wrestler from Punjab University who won the Gold Medal in the 55 kg weight category in the first-ever Khelo India University Games.

Belonging to Sonepat, Haryana, Ishika presently resides in Delhi and practices wrestling at the Chhatrasal Stadium, known as the nursery of wrestling, apart from Gohana in Haryana. “This was my first Khelo India University Games. I enjoyed playing in Varanasi. The facilities were excellent, and the competition level was quite high. I will continue to participate in such games in the future,” she says.

Her father, Sandeep Kumar, works as an egg wholesaler in Delhi, while her mother is a homemaker. Ishika has an elder brother who is studying. Talking about how she got into wrestling, she says, “It started when I was nine and studying at Geetanjali School in Sonepat. I used to stay in a hostel. It was there that I saw wrestling, and my interest sparked. My father wanted me to pursue wrestling as I my family has a long wrestling history.”

Now, a second-year student of Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Punjab University, she also participated in the Khelo India School Games earlier. “At the Khelo India School Games in Pune, I won a Bronze Medal in the 46 kg weight category. Last year (2022), I participated in Junior National Championship at Patna, where I won a Silver Medal in the 53 kg weight category,” says Ishika who practices three days a week in Delhi and three days in Gohana under the guidance of Parveen and Somveer (Gohana).

Ishika won the Gold Medal in the 55 kg weight category
in the first-ever Khelo India University Games

Ishika has a dream to represent the country in the Olympics. “My dream is to play in the Olympics for India. My immediate goal is to qualify for it. I am working hard towards it. I practice for four hours in the morning and four hours in the evening,” she says.

Sandeep Kumar, Ishika’s father, also traveled with her to Varanasi for the Khelo India University Games. He was pleased with the arrangements made there. Sandeep said that he wanted someone in his family to pursue wrestling. Since his son wasn’t interested, he introduced his daughter to the sport.

“Both my grandfather and father were wrestlers. They used to participate in wrestling matches. For some reason, I couldn’t become a wrestler myself, but I have always been very fond of wrestling. This is the reason I wanted my kids to pursue the sport,” says Sandeep.