KUALA LUMPUR: Navinder Kaur Thandal, an upcoming Malaysian national arm wrestling athlete, is on a mission to break gender stereotypes in the sport.
She believes that women, too, can excel in arm wrestling – provided they develop the strength, technique, and strategy needed to succeed.
The fitness trainer and freelance model, who emerged as the first runner-up in the recently concluded “Malaysian National Arm Wrestling Championship 2023” held on March 18-19, believes that strength and ability are not determined by gender.
“Though arm wrestling is often viewed as a male-dominated sport, women, too, can excel in the sport with consistent training, proper technique, and a strategic approach,” said Navinder in an exclusive interview with Bernama at Wisma Bernama recently.
Navinder, who holds a first-class bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship development, said the most crucial step in breaking gender stereotypes in arm wrestling is through education – and it should start at the school level from a very early stage.
“School children, (whether) male or female, should be taught how to arm wrestle as this will eventually build awareness among them that arm wrestling is not a male-dominated sport,” said the social media influencer who was brought up in Kluang, Johor.
Sharing how she developed an interest in arm wrestling, Navinder, who has been weightlifting for six years, said it all started when she received an email from Putrajaya Armwrestling Association – scouting for a female competitor to participate in the sport.
Considering her upper body and wrists’ strength, the former beauty queen and entrepreneur said she agreed to embark on this new journey and has since participated in three arm wrestling championships in Malaysia within two years. Her maiden championship was held in Pandamaran, Klang, last year.
“As an arm wrestler, I need to build strength in my forearms, biceps and triceps,” said Navinder, who will be participating in the ‘World Arm Wrestling Championship 2023’ to be held in Malaysia in September this year.
Commenting further on her training regime for the upcoming tournament, Navinder, who coaches women in strength training at her house in Subang Jaya, said she is trying to master the Top Roll – one of the basic moves in arm wrestling.
“My aim is actually to defend my arm position as long as I can on the table,” she said, adding that practicing regular meditation, strength training and weight lifting keeps her mind focused for arm wrestling bouts.
Navinder also dispelled a common misconception in arm wrestling that competitors should not be allowed to move their body while engaging in the sport – stressing that competitors are allowed to use their body weight in several different ways to reduce the risk of injury.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Armwrestling Federation president Mohd Zil Fadli Abd Halim, who coaches Navinder, said he is currently providing strength and conditioning exercises for Navinder so that she can improve arm wrestling skills and build muscle memory in the run-up to the world championship.
Mohd Zil said he has developed specific training for Navinder to prepare for the world championship, where she will undergo intensive training starting in the middle of this month. – BERNAMA
