“The funny thing about sport or life is that you have to think of the first step, and then the next, and so on to reach the outcome, not the result itself, to succeed. A lot of people MAKE THE MISTAKE of being transfixed on getting a medal rather than on what you need to do to get there,” says Erica Wiebe in a chat with UTHRA GANESAN.
Wrestling, largely, is not something that evokes images of articulate, pretty young women. It is an intensely physical sport that, across the world in general and in India in particular, reeks of machismo and muscled up men moving around languidly. The advent of woman wrestlers into public consciousness — especially following the success of the Phogat sisters, Geeta and Babita,and the movie inspired by them — only reinforces the belief that they are, in some way, less feminine.
That is until you meet Erica Wiebe. The reigning Olympic champion is everything a woman is supposed to be — tall, lithe and with a flawless skin — and nothing that a wrestler is presumed to be. As part of the Pro Wrestling League here, the blonde Canadian has been one of the most-recognised faces on television, helped partly by her ever-agitated presence near the ring as captain of the Mumbai Maharathis and the fact that she is one of a handful of wrestlers conversant with English.
SITTING DOWN FOR AN interview with Sportstar, the 5’ 9” Canadian can’t stop smiling and laughing while recounting her experiences as a wrestler. Erica also speaks of how she shifted from football and how she loves to shatter the misconceptions around women in the sport.
“My goal forever was to move it to university in the USA and play football (she prefers to call it soccer to make sure there is no ambiguity vis-a-vis American football) there. I wrote my SATs in the 11th, I was talking to universities for scholarships even as I was wrestling more and more since the 9th, so for those years I was juggling both. And then I made my first national team in wrestling and travelled to Europe for a competition and I was hooked.
Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin January 28, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin January 28, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?
The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
