She entered the court for the first time when she was seven. This young dreamer knew exactly what she wanted when she was in grade two. “Like any other kid I loved playing”, says Pratibha Mali, “but I took my game a bit too seriously”. At the young age of thirteen, she joined the national volleyball team. She is now only fifteen and has already represented Nepal in various international platforms.
Her journey however, has not been easy. As a young girl, she knew not what the society expected from her. It saddened her when many discouraged her to play because she was a girl. Yet, the unconditional support from her family kept her going. “When I started playing there was no scope for volleyball, no one thought a woman could represent Nepal internationally in this game,” she says. A tenth grader at New Diamond Academy, Mali is full of confidence and optimism. She envisions taking volleyball to the next level in the next few years.
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Mali was one of the major players when Nepal secured second place in South Asia Women’s Volleyball Championship two years ago. She was also successful in setting a record for being the youngest player in a national team. Mali displayed an outstanding performance in the 12th South Asian Games which was held in India last year. Nepal secured the third place in the game.
New Diamond participated in five domestic tournaments last year and secured first position in one and second position in the rest of the tournaments. Spiker Mali also won the best player’s award for the third time in a row in Pokhara when her team New Diamond won the Open Volleyball Tournament for the third consecutive year. She was also named the best spiker in two of the Open Volleyball Tournaments held in Pokhara. “My most memorable memory was when I represented Nepal internationally the first time in Sri Lanka,” says Mali.
According to her coach Kumar Rai, Mali is an intelligent player and has the ability to take Nepal to great heights in the near future. “She has the ability to think critically in very crucial situations of the game,” says Rai. Rai also says that Mali is extremely hard working.
Mali has also been able to handle both her passion and. She recently got honored by Sher Bahadur Khadka Memorial Foundation with the Sher Bahadur Khadka Memorial Sports award. The foundation honored her for securing an A in the Secondary Education Exam (SEE). Mali was also one of the three women spikers who received two-year scholarship from the same organization.
She dreams of seeing the Nepali flag held high in the international platform. She encourages other Nepalis youth not to focus only on studies but develop other skills as well. According to her, Nepal has immense potential in various fields but success can only be achieved through determination and hard work.
