New Delhi, Sep 24 At 17, Dipanshi is about to walk onto the biggest stage of her fledgling wrestling career after nailing the Asian Games squad without competing in a single senior-level tournament, but the teenager’s perspective on life goes well beyond the mat.
It was only after her selection for the continental event in March that she got a taste of senior-level competition at UWW Ranking Series in Budapest, where she finished 10th in July.
The three-time Asian championship gold medallist will represent India in the 50kg category without experience, a leap that could appear daunting for most young wrestlers but one that Dipanshi is embracing with curiosity rather than apprehension.
For her, wrestling is only one chapter of a much larger story.
“Wrestling is a part of our journey. We have to face a lot of things in life. It is very important to be a good person in life,” Dipanshi told PTI in an interview ahead of the Asian Games.
“Our coach has taught us that wrestling is a part of life, it is a page in a book. We have to face a lot of things in life and we have to be a good person outside of wrestling too.”
That philosophy is perhaps unusual for someone who is yet to turn 18 but Dipanshi says it has been drilled into her by her coach and parents.
Her coach at Sir Chhotu Ram Akhara Mandeep Singh has reminded the young wrestlers that sport will have its phases of struggle and downfall, and that their conduct away from the mat matters just as much.
“He tells us that this is a phase of wrestling. In the future, in my life, I have to be a good person too. I don’t do bad things to anyone. There is a lot of doping in wrestling, so it is very important to be a good person.
“My parents have also been teaching me since childhood to be a good person. Everything comes after that.”
No senior experience, no fear
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Dipanshi had been a junior national champion, but her first senior outing was the selection trials. The transition, she says, was already being prepared for by her coaches.
“We already know that now I will have to play in the seniors too. So according to that, the mindset is ready,” she said.
Rather than being intimidated by the prospect of facing established senior wrestlers, Dipanshi sees the Asian Games as an opportunity to learn.
“There is a little nervousness too, but I get a lot of excitement because I will get a chance to compete with big players,” she said.
“What is their strategy, what do they do before the game, whatever they have, I have to learn.”
Her confidence also comes from a simple message from her coach: once the bout begins, the distinction between a junior and a senior disappears.
“There is a little difference between seniors and juniors, but if we go to the mat, then seniors and juniors are nothing. We have same techniques.”
“After going to the mat, there is just mutal respect.”
‘I want to be like me’
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Dipanshi does not want to model herself on one particular wrestler, despite admiring several of India’s attacking talents.
She likes Vinesh Phogat’s attacking approach and also admires Antim Panghal and other emerging Indian wrestlers, but her bigger ambition is to carve out an identity of her own.
“I want my sister and my brother Prince to follow me, that their sister has achieved something in life. I get guidance from good wrestlers and I learn a lot from them, but I want to be like me. That’s enough for me.”
That individuality is also reflected in her wrestling. She describes herself as an attacking wrestler, saying she enjoys initiating moves rather than waiting for her opponent.
“I like my attacking style because it is natural for me. I play attacking from the beginning,” she said.
Japanese influence
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The young wrestler has also benefited from the presence of Japanese coach Kosei Akaishi at the national camp, who has brought a different emphasis on discipline and technical detail.
She said the lessons went beyond wrestling techniques — arriving on time, controlling social media use, maintaining a proper sleep schedule and staying focused were among the areas emphasised.
On the technical side, Dipanshi feels the Japanese coach has offered different ways of executing familiar attacking and defensive moves.
“The techniques are the same, but their way of doing it is a little different,” she said.
Gold is already being imagined
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Dipanshi chose to skip U23 World Championship trials, keeping games in mind.
“Now there is a chance of injury, we do not take any risk. First Asian Games are important, so I chose that.”
The 50kg category is among the toughest at the Asian Games, with Japan and China traditionally producing strong wrestlers, but Dipanshi is preparing for every possible opponent.
She studies videos, looks for weaknesses and prepares strategies, while accepting that wrestling is too fluid to be reduced to a pre-planned script.
“Wrestling is such a movable game, anything can happen. We have to be ready for it in every way,” she said.
(PTI News)
