Kajal Dhochak, only 18, created history by becoming the maiden heavyweight Indian woman wrestler to win a medal at the Wrestling World Championships. Last Wednesday, she nailed silver in the 76kg title clash in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Five months ago, she was nursing a heartbreak. The youngest World Championships medallist was aghast after losing the trials for the Asian Games. She was leading in the final before losing to Priya Malik in the final few seconds. The loss crushed Kajal for a few days before she started preparing for the biggest tournament of her life, the Wrestling World Championships.

“It stung me for some days. The Asian Games come once every four years. While I was leading, I thought that I would hug my uncle if I [won] and were selected. But it changed in the last few moments.…