Himani Hirani, daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver from Vadodara, won a gold medal in the under 71 kg category at an international wrestling competition held in Turkey. She defeated her Russian opponent in the final. Her win is being compared to a real-life inspiration from the film “Dangal”, which shows how sports can transform the lives of people from poor backgrounds.
Himani comes from a poor family. Her father Prakashbhai drives an auto rickshaw and mother Meenaben is a housewife. Himani and her sister Megha chose wrestling as a career after their parents watched the movie “Dangal”. The film depicts a father training his daughters to become champion wrestlers. Inspired by the story, Prakashbhai and Meenaben supported their daughters’ dreams, and both sisters began training at the Narayan Guru Akhara in Salatwada, Vadodara.