Putting setbacks behind, Nisha ready for Asian Games glory

For years, Nisha Dahia would have this lingering thought after every injury: Why me?

Why did the body give up just when everything seemed to be falling into place? Why did another promising campaign end in disappointment? She no longer asks those questions.

Nisha has learnt to take setbacks in her stride, stopped cribbing about the injuries that have repeatedly interrupted her career, and, most importantly, accepted that an athlete can control the work but not always the outcome.

That change in mindset could prove as important as any technical improvement when Nisha steps on the mat at the Asian Games in the women’s 68kg category, carrying the hopes of finally converting her considerable potential into a major medal. “I used to feel that God was being unfair on me. I used to think, why is this happening to me again and again? But now I don’t think like that,” Nisha told. “I will get what is written in my fate. I will do my job, work hard and wrestle well. I will do my best.”

It is a remarkably mature outlook for a wrestler who has had more than her share of cruel interruptions. Nisha’s career has often been a case of promise without the results to match. She lost the bronze-medal bout at the 2022 World Championships after taking a 4-0 lead against Linda Morais before an injury relapse forced her out of the contest, keeping her away from competition for several months. Then came Paris.