Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A 30-year-old woman from the city, Surabhi Sankhla who won a silver medal in recently concluded International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Asian Championship, Bahrain, returned here on Monday evening and said that her journey would continue until she would won gold medal.
The IMMAF Asian Championship 2023 was held in Bahrain, from December 12 to December 16. Surabhi defeated a Pakistani player in the semifinals to make her position into the finals. Nonetheless, she lost in the finals to a player from Kazakhstan and settled for the silver medal.
Upon reaching her home town on Monday evening with a silver medal for the country, she received a warm welcome. Lots of people gathered at her house to extend congratulations to her.
Surabhi, who is also a lawyer by profession, told ANI, "IMMAF Asian Championship 2023 was held in Bahrain. In Mixed Martial Arts, there are three rounds of three minutes each. My semifinal match was with a Pakistani player who dominated me in the first two rounds. After that in the third round, I won the match by technical knockout and made it to the finals." She further said that she lost in the finals to a Kazakhstani player, so Kazakhstan bagged the Gold medal, India got the silver medal and Pakistan won the bronze medal. She also added that she had been the national champion in the featherweight category for the last three years.
Talking about her preparation for the tournament, Surabhi said, "I did special training two times a day along with following a proper diet routine for the Asian Championship which is required for international matches. I had done that. There is a difference between playing national and international matches. There is pressure playing against another country. But at the end we have to give our best in the ring and I also tried to give my best".
Speaking about her semifinal match with Pakistan, she said that she was mentally prepared as her opponent was a bit taller and heavier to her. The opponent also dominated her in two rounds but she did not let that put pressure on her and also she did not want to lose to Pakistan. So, she gave her all in the third round and defeated her.
"I used to play sports since school days. I am a lawyer by profession so it was a bit difficult to manage. I go for training in the early morning, then court and again go for the training in the evening. It was challenging but after a good performance it brings satisfaction," she said.
"My journey will continue until I win gold for the country and the national anthem is played on the podium," Surabhi added.
Surabhi also says that she believes that every person should know self-defence and it should be taught to all.
Meanwhile, Surabhi's mother Sushma Sankhla said, "I am very happy, my daughter has achieved a great feat. She works very hard. She is also a lawyer, so she wakes up early in the morning to train and go to the gym. We were scared about this game, but considering today's environment, every girl should learn martial arts." Surabhi's coach Vikas Sharma said, "Surabhi has been training with me for four years. Initially we did not expect that she would play internationally, but she started participating and winning first at the state and then at the national level. After that, confidence increased and she started preparing for the Asian Championship." Surabhi is the first senior category girl from Madhya Pradesh who participated in an International tournament and won silver, he added.
