At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Reetika Hooda wants to see the Indian tricolour fly at its highest point. The country also desires it.
Reetika Hooda, filled with confidence, spoke with The Quint prior to her trip to Paris. She said:
She had no idea that in a matter of weeks, the aspirations of a whole country would be entirely dependent on her. Reetika is currently India’s best chance of winning the elusive gold medal as the Games go on.
Six medals total—five bronze and one silver—have been brought back by the 117 athletes from India; the silver was won by Tokyo gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.
Every Olympic gold medal is a symbol of overcoming hardship, but Reetika’s journey to glory is particularly difficult. Her first opponent on Saturday, August 9, in the women’s 76kg division will be Bernadett Nagy of Hungary, who is currently ranked 16th in the world and has won two medals at the European Championships.
If Reetika succeeds in overcoming that obstacle, she might meet the seemingly unstoppable Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan, who is presently ranked first and a two-time medallist at the World Championships.
However, Reetika is no stranger to making records.
Not a Stranger To Creating Records
She was not thought to be a strong medal contender prior to traveling to Paris. Prior to the 2023 U-23 World Wrestling Championships, the same was true.
Rita Talismanova and Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, her opponents in the quarterfinal and semifinal, are both ranked in the top 10. Kennedy Blades, her last opponent, is likewise rated substantially higher in comparison.
Reetika became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the U-23 World Championships after defeating every one of them and taking home the gold.
Reetika surprised everyone by defeating higher-ranked opponents like Wang Juan and Chang Hui-tsz at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, securing her spot in Paris once more.
The 21-year-old from Haryana responded as follows when asked if the size of her opponents intimidated her:
Reetika was initially dubious about the sport because she didn’t want to give up handball and kabaddi, but after just one training session, she was drawn to it.
Sakshi Malik used to train at Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, which is where Reetika’s journey started. For Reetika, seeing Sakshi qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio was a huge inspiration.
