India’s Malik eyes gold medal at CWG
kolkata — A new defensive technique added to her repertoire, Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik is confident that she would fetch her maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal when she takes the mat in Gold Coast next month.
The Rio bronze-winner has tweaked her leg defence on the insistence of her coach Kuldeep Singh Malik, something that has already got her a gold in the Commonwealth Championships in December last year.
Sakshi, however, refused to go into the details of the new technique that she has worked on.
“I can’t give the details of the techniques. But as I said, I’m looking for a gold medal and more confident now,” she said.
In February this year, a controversial decision in the qualification bout against eventual silvermedallist Luo Xiaojuan of China cost Sakshi a place in the final of the Asian Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
“Life has changed completely (post-Rio). There’s more responsibility on me now -- to win more and more medals for India. I hope CWG is the beginning, ahead of the Asian Games in Indonesia later this year and Tokyo Olympics 2020. “The target is to win a gold medal for the country in Australia. Preparation going great and I’m giving my 100 per cent, training twice a day,” Sakshi said. According to her coach Kuldeep Singh Malik, her leg defence has improved and that will help her hold and attack.
“It’s a work in progress till we achieve 100 per cent. It certainly makes a difference not only in defence but in the speed,” the coach said. Apart from training, Sakshi’s preparations include watching videos of her possible opponents from Canada and Nigeria. — PTI