AS a child, Melika Balali watched from the sidelines as her male relatives grappled in home wrestling matches. She was forbidden from taking part in Iran’s national sport — simply because she was a girl.

Prevented from most activities including singing, dancing, or riding a bicycle, Balali immersed herself in art. “It was the only thing that the government and my family didn’t stop me from doing,” she said. But she longed to take part in her family’s sporting tradition.

Now 22 and living in the Central Belt, Balali is not only a champion freestyle wrestler on the mats, but a champion for Iranian women’s rights.

When she won gold in the British championships in June, Balali used her achievement to highlight the strict hijab (hair-covering) laws for women and the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic. She stood on the podium, hair uncovered, holding a sign: ‘Stop forcing hijab, I have the right to be a wrestler.’

Balali had trained with the Scottish national team and wore a Saltire shirt on the podium. Yet she couldn’t ignore the fact that her compatriots were facing a fiercer opponent: the Iranian government and its latest crackdown on women’s dress and freedoms. “I cannot forget where I come from,” she said.

Three months later, the death of Mahsa Amini in custody for “improper” hair covering sparked ongoing bloody protests against Iran’s government, in which over 400 people are reported to have been killed to date.

Balali believes her strength on the mats is mirrored by the women leading the revolt back home. “Iranian women aren’t allowed to do wrestling,” she said, “but in the street, they are protesting as wrestlers — because it’s not a protest, it’s a fight.”

In 2018, the Iranian Wrestling Federation set up its first ever women’s team, but demanded hijab and impractical clothing. Headscarf readjustments often disrupted play. “Even though I didn’t like the hijab, my love for wrestling meant that I wanted to do it in anyway,” Balali said.

She left Iran for the US in 2020 before moving to Scotland in 2021. The freedoms that women experienced elsewhere astounded Balali. She was wary of uncovering her hair around men, having been brainwashed by the regime to believe that they would abuse her.

“In Iran we are limited in thinking, doing, speaking — we have no choice,” she said.

Due to state-censored media in Iran, Balali hadn’t realised that female wrestlers abroad wore singlets. Her body language spoke of her oppression. “Foreign wrestlers had a confidence that I didn’t have,” she said. “They raised their heads and looked forwards. I was looking down all the time because in Iran, we needed to obey all rules from the government.”

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Wrestling has built up Balali’s confidence. “Now I’m not a wrestler on the mat or in the gym — I’m a wrestler in the world,” she said. But just as her self-esteem blossomed, her conservative parents in Shahrekord, 300 miles south of Tehran, cut contact.

“Iran isn’t a safe place for women, but it starts from the family,” Balali explained. “My house wasn’t a safe place and if I argued back, I was beaten by my parents and brother.”

They were angered when Balali posted photos without hijab, and stopped communication when they discovered her wrestling in a singlet and protesting. “I respect them, they have their own ideas,” she said. “But this is my life.”

When protests erupted in her homeland in September, Balali shaved her head in solidarity with other Iranian women in Glasgow’s George Square and spoke out at the City Chambers and on social media.

Balali is acutely aware that she is not ‘in the middle of the fight’; instead, she’s speaking from the sidelines to draw attention to the plight of those within Iran.

“My job is to talk for myself first, about those rights that were taken away from me for 18 years,” she said. “Then my voice will echo those of other Iranian women.”

Since her protest, other Iranian athletes have removed their hijab during competitions and faced consequences, including climber Elnaz Rekabi, who apologised in what was later reported to be a forced confession. She was placed under house arrest. Last week, an Iranian women’s basketball team removed their hijab, while the men’s football team refused to sing their national anthem in their opening fixture at the World Cup.

Balali is unwilling to criticise her compatriots within Iran who are not speaking out against their government. “I need to be careful about what I say about others, because I’m outside in a safe country,” she said. When Balali shaved her head in George Square, she received police protection. “If I shaved my hair publicly in Iran, the police would attack and maybe kill me”’ she said.

Yet, living abroad does not guarantee safety. Balali has received online death threats from the Iranian government, prompting security provision from Police Scotland. “I’m a wrestler, I’m not afraid of the threats,” she said, calling her new Scottish community of coaches, athletes and friends ‘angels’ due to their support.

Winning Olympic gold ‘for Scotland’ in Paris 2024 is her aim. “Together we will reach that goal and protest there for Iranian people,” she said. “Scotland was the first country that allowed me to do wrestling and I owe them for giving this freedom to me.”

Balali is hopeful that the ongoing revolution will result in improved rights and freedom for people in Iran, enabling her return one day. “I want to meet these brave women and learn from them,” she said. “I also want to learn from Iranian wrestlers, because I didn’t have the right to learn from them before.”

Alongside her physical training, Balali’s activism through her speech, artwork and poetry on women’s rights is reminding her of what she’s really fighting for.

“If you’re a wrestler, a champion is nothing without the backing of the people,” she said. “I want to be remembered in history for my words behind that gold medal.”