Wrestling, commonly known as Kushti or Pehlwani in India, is the country’s favorite sport that has produced many world-class athletes. Wrestling is an ancient sport that has been practiced in various forms around the world for centuries. The ancient Greeks, Babylonians, and Egyptians competed in wrestling and even held tournaments thousands of years ago.
Wrestling is also recorded in the Indian Vedas and epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. It’s no surprise that wrestling is one of the most respected sports in India. Many Indian wrestlers have made the country proud with their international achievements. Wrestlers are becoming more and more famous due to their contribution to the nation and high social respect. Let’s take a look at the top 10 most famous Indian wrestlers.
Related: Top 10 Famous Female Wrestlers in India
1. Sushil Kumar
Source: The Indian Express
Sushil Kumar is undoubtedly the greatest Indian wrestler of modern times, and also the most controversial. He won India’s first Olympic medal since 1952 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Sushil Kumar is known for his very technical but also fierce wrestling skills. Even at the highest level, he surpassed his opponent. In 2010, Kumar became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Due to a stomach ache just before the final of the 2012 London Olympics, Sushil Kumar lost his coveted gold medal and had to win a silver one. He failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and was embroiled in controversy for undermining Narsingh Yadav’s career by embroiling him in a doping scandal involving dietary supplements. poisoned.
2. Geeta Phogat
Source: HerZindagi
Geeta Phogat is one of the most famous female wrestlers in India and a pioneer of female wrestling in the country. Phogat and her sister Babita were coached by their father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler who saw great potential in them. At that time, girls were banned from wrestling in most countries. But with the guidance and support of her family, Geeta overcame social obstacles and established herself as one of the best female wrestlers in Indian history. A movie has even been made about the Phogat family – Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Geeta Phogat won India’s first gold medal in wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
3. Punia Bajrang
Source: Khel Now
Bajrang Punia is an Indian wrestler from Haryana who is known for his fitness and speed. Though his career was plagued by injury, Punia managed to come back stronger each time. Bajrang Punia is the only Indian wrestler to have won 4 medals (1 silver, 3 bronze) at the World Championships. He is also a gold medalist at the Asian Games and a two-time Commonwealth gold medalist. However, Punja’s biggest achievement may be the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Punia beat Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan 8-0 despite suffering a knee injury. At the age of 28, Punia hopes to represent India again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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4. Yogeshwar Dutt
Source: Indian DNA
Yogeshwar Dutt is another famous wrestler from the Indian state of India. Dutt started training at an early age and overcame many difficulties to win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Dutt is an inspiration to many Indian wrestlers and has mentored the likes of Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya. Dutt joined the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.
5. KD Jadhav
Source: The Print
KD Jadhav was the first individual medalist for Indian Independence at the Olympics. Jadhav is known for his small stature and lightning speed. He won a bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and later worked as a wrestling coach.
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6. Deepak Punia
Source: The Indian Express
Deepak Punia is another promising young wrestler in India. He won a silver medal at the Nur-Sultan World Wrestling Championships in 2019 and at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. Punia is a junior officer in the Indian Army and competed in the 86 kg category.
7. Vinesh Phogat
Source: Hindustan Times
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat is a member of the famous Phogat family. Vinesh was from Haryana and was mentored by his uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat in his youth. Vinesh is one of India’s most talented wrestlers and was successful at the 2016 Rio Olympics. An injury in the quarter-finals killed her medal hopes, but she made a spectacular comeback. two years later, winning gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
8. Ravi Kumar Dahiya
Source: Haribhoomi
Ravi Kumar Dahiya is an Indian wrestler from Haryana who rose to fame when he won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dahiya was leading by a staggering 9 points in the semifinals, but was miraculously recover and pin your opponent in the final moments of the match to win by fall. Dahija lost the final in terms of points and went into the annals. At just 23 years old, Dahiya has a bright future ahead of him, having won gold medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
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9. Sakshi Malik
Source: Most
Sakshi Malik is one of the most prolific female wrestlers in India. She made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning bronze and becoming India’s first Olympic medalist. Surprisingly, Malik took the place of Indian wrestler icon Geeta Phogat, who was injured at the time. Sakshi Malik currently works for Indian Railways and recently won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
10. Gama Pehelwan
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, also known as The Great Gama, was a powerful wrestler in British India. Born in Amritsar, Gama remained undefeated throughout his career and also won the Rustam-e-Hind (Indian Wrestling Championship). Due to the lack of quality competition in India, Gama began challenging international wrestlers and defeated many established wrestlers and judokas. Gama’s skills and training even inspired Bruce Lee.
sr no | wrestler | A great achievement |
first | Sushil Kumar | Silver – Olympic Games in London 2012 Gold – Moscow World Wrestling Championship 2010 |
2 | Geeta Phogat | Gold Medal – Commonwealth Games in New Delhi 2010 |
3 | Bajrang Punian | Bronze – Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 Silver – World Wrestling Championships in Budapest 2018 |
4 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Bronze Medal – Olympic Games London 2012 |
5 | KD Jadhav | Bronze Medal – Olympic Games in Helsinki 1952 |
6 | Deepak Punia | Silver – Nur-Sultan World Wrestling Championship 2019 |
5 | Vinesh Phogat | Gold – 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Gold – Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games |
8 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Silver – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 |
9 | Sakshi Malik | Gold – Rio 2016 Olympic Games Gold – Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games |
ten | Big Gamma | Rustam-e-Hind World Heavyweight Championship (1910) |
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