Sushil Kumar (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Sushil Kumar Solanki is an India
n World Champion wrestler who won the gold medal
in the 66 kg freestyle competition at the FILA 2010 World Wrestling Championships and a bronze medal
in the Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling
event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kumar defeated Leonid Spiridonov
of Kazakhstan
in the repechage round
to win the bronze. This was the second medal for India in wrestling, and the first since K D Jadhav
's bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games
. On July 2009, he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
- India's highest honor for sportspersons. On 3 October 2010, Sushil Kumar was the final baton bearer who handed the Queen's Baton to Prince Charles in the Queen's Baton Relay
for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Opening Ceremony
.
in Delhi. Kumar's father Diwan Singh Solanki was an MTNL bus driver and mother Kamla Devi a housewife. He was inspired to take up wrestling by his cousin Sandeep and his father who was himself a pehlwan (wrestler). Sandeep quit wrestling as the family could only support one wrestler. Kumar trained at the akhada
(wrestling school) in the Chhatrasal Stadium from the age of 14. With minimal funds and poor training facilities for wrestling in India, even for the 2008 Olympic team, his family made sure he obtained the necessary dietary supplements by sending him tinned milk, ghee and vegetables. He is a vegetarian.
Kumar is presently employed by the Indian Railways
as a Assistant Commercial Manager.
camp by coach Gyan Singh, Sushil endured tough training conditions which included sharing a mattress with a fellow wrestler and sharing a dormitory with twenty others. at the age of 18 he become state champ.
His first success came at the World Cadet Games in 1998 where he won the gold medal in his weight category. He followed this up with a gold in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship in 2000.
Moving out of the junior competition, Kumar won the bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2003 and followed that up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships. Kumar placed fourth in the World Championships in 2003, but this went largely unnoticed by the Indian media as he fared badly in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
, in the 60 kg class placing 14th. He won gold medals at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in 2005 and 2007. He ranked seventh in the 2007 World Wrestling Championships, but managed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
. He followed this up with a Bronze in the Asian Wrestling Championships, before heading for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Sushil Kumar was awarded the Arjuna Award
in 2006.
from Ukraine
in the first round of the 66 kg freestyle wrestling event, leaving his medal hopes hinging on the repechage
. Kumar defeated American Doug Schwab
in the first repechage round and Belarusian Albert Batyrov
in the second repechage round. In the bronze medal match on 20 August 2008 Kumar beat Spiridonov 3:1, with scores of 2-1, 0-1, 2-0 in the three rounds. Sushil Kumar disclosed that he had no masseur during the three bouts he won within a span of 70 minutes to take the bronze. The team manager Kartar Singh who is a former Asian Games medallist acted as the masseur for him.
Sushil Kumar beat local hope & crowd favourite Alan Gogaev of Russia 3-1 in the finals for the gold in the 66 kg freestyle wrestling category. Earlier, he had won a thrilling semi-final match against European champion Jabrail Hasanov
of Azerbaijan
4-3 to make it to the final. After getting a bye in the first round, Sushil had routed Akritidis Anastasios of Greece
6-0 in the second round, beat Martin Sebastian of Germany
4-1 in the pre-quarters & demolished Mongolia
n Buyanjav Batzorig 9-1 in the quarter-finals.
held in Delhi
on 10 October 2010. He beat Heinrich Barnes
of South Africa
7-0 in the finals in the 66 kg freestyle wrestling category. The South African wrestler could not endure more than three and half minutes in front of Sushil. In fact the bout had to be stopped by the referee in the second round. Earlier, in the semifinals, Sushil defeated Famara Jarjou of the Gambia 3-0 in a record 9 seconds. In the quarterfinals Sushil Kumar defeated Muhammad Salman of Pakistan 10-0 in 46 seconds.
For the bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics
For the gold medal at 2010 World Wrestling Championships
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n World Champion wrestler who won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 66 kg freestyle competition at the FILA 2010 World Wrestling Championships and a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kumar defeated Leonid Spiridonov
Leonid Spiridonov
Leonid Spiridonov is a male freestyle wrestler from Kazakhstan.He participated in Men's freestyle 66 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics...
of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
in the repechage round
Repechage
Repechage is a practice amongst ladder competitions that allows participants that failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round.- Types of repechage :...
to win the bronze. This was the second medal for India in wrestling, and the first since K D Jadhav
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
Mr. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav , or KD Jadhav, widely known as 'Pocket Dynamo', was independent India's first individual Olympic medalist when he won the freestyle wrestling bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Since 1900 when Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics, India had won...
's bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
. On July 2009, he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...
- India's highest honor for sportspersons. On 3 October 2010, Sushil Kumar was the final baton bearer who handed the Queen's Baton to Prince Charles in the Queen's Baton Relay
Queen's Baton Relay
The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London...
for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
Opening Ceremony
2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event, in New Delhi, India...
.
Biography
Sushil Kumar comes from the village BaprolaBaprola
Baprola is a small village on the outskirts of Najafgarh in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is near the Delhi-Haryana border. It is best known as the home of the 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar....
in Delhi. Kumar's father Diwan Singh Solanki was an MTNL bus driver and mother Kamla Devi a housewife. He was inspired to take up wrestling by his cousin Sandeep and his father who was himself a pehlwan (wrestler). Sandeep quit wrestling as the family could only support one wrestler. Kumar trained at the akhada
Akhada
akhada or akharha may refer to:*a school of Pehlwani * an organization of Hindu sects, see Akhara...
(wrestling school) in the Chhatrasal Stadium from the age of 14. With minimal funds and poor training facilities for wrestling in India, even for the 2008 Olympic team, his family made sure he obtained the necessary dietary supplements by sending him tinned milk, ghee and vegetables. He is a vegetarian.
Kumar is presently employed by the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
as a Assistant Commercial Manager.
Career
Solanki started training at the Chhatrasal Stadium's akhada at the age of 14. Trained at the akhada by Indian pehlwans Yashvir and Ramphal, and later by Arjuna awardee Satpal and then at the RailwaysIndian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
camp by coach Gyan Singh, Sushil endured tough training conditions which included sharing a mattress with a fellow wrestler and sharing a dormitory with twenty others. at the age of 18 he become state champ.
His first success came at the World Cadet Games in 1998 where he won the gold medal in his weight category. He followed this up with a gold in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship in 2000.
Moving out of the junior competition, Kumar won the bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2003 and followed that up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships. Kumar placed fourth in the World Championships in 2003, but this went largely unnoticed by the Indian media as he fared badly in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, in the 60 kg class placing 14th. He won gold medals at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in 2005 and 2007. He ranked seventh in the 2007 World Wrestling Championships, but managed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He followed this up with a Bronze in the Asian Wrestling Championships, before heading for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Sushil Kumar was awarded the Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 2006.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Out of the field of 21, 11 wrestlers including Kumar obtained a bye to the 1/8 round. He lost to Andriy StadnikAndriy Stadnik
Andriy Stadnik is a male wrestler from Ukraine. He won a silver medal in the Men's freestyle 66kg event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-Personal life:...
from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in the first round of the 66 kg freestyle wrestling event, leaving his medal hopes hinging on the repechage
Repechage
Repechage is a practice amongst ladder competitions that allows participants that failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round.- Types of repechage :...
. Kumar defeated American Doug Schwab
Doug Schwab
Doug Schwab is a male freestyle wrestler from USA.He participated in Men's freestyle 66 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. He lost a match in the 1/16 of final against Andriy Stadnik. In the first repechage round he lost and was eliminated by Sushil Kumar...
in the first repechage round and Belarusian Albert Batyrov
Albert Batyrov
Albert Batyrov is a male freestyle wrestler from Belarus.He participated in Men's freestyle 66 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. In the 1/8 of final he beat North Korean Yang Chun-Song then in 1/4 of final he lost with Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik. In repechage round he lost with Sushil Kumar from India and...
in the second repechage round. In the bronze medal match on 20 August 2008 Kumar beat Spiridonov 3:1, with scores of 2-1, 0-1, 2-0 in the three rounds. Sushil Kumar disclosed that he had no masseur during the three bouts he won within a span of 70 minutes to take the bronze. The team manager Kartar Singh who is a former Asian Games medallist acted as the masseur for him.
2010 World Wrestling Championships, Moscow
Sushil Kumar created history when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at FILA 2010 World Wrestling Championships held in Moscow on 12 September 2010.Sushil Kumar beat local hope & crowd favourite Alan Gogaev of Russia 3-1 in the finals for the gold in the 66 kg freestyle wrestling category. Earlier, he had won a thrilling semi-final match against European champion Jabrail Hasanov
Jabrail Hasanov
Jabrayil Hasanov is a male freestyle wrestler from Azerbaijan.-External links:*...
of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
4-3 to make it to the final. After getting a bye in the first round, Sushil had routed Akritidis Anastasios of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
6-0 in the second round, beat Martin Sebastian of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
4-1 in the pre-quarters & demolished Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n Buyanjav Batzorig 9-1 in the quarter-finals.
2010 Commonwealth Games, Delhi
Sushil Kumar won gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
held in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 10 October 2010. He beat Heinrich Barnes
Heinrich Barnes
Heinrich Barnes is a male freestyle wrestler from South Africa.He participated in Men's freestyle 66 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. He was eliminated in the 1/16 of final losing to Mongolian Buyanjavyn Batzorig...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
7-0 in the finals in the 66 kg freestyle wrestling category. The South African wrestler could not endure more than three and half minutes in front of Sushil. In fact the bout had to be stopped by the referee in the second round. Earlier, in the semifinals, Sushil defeated Famara Jarjou of the Gambia 3-0 in a record 9 seconds. In the quarterfinals Sushil Kumar defeated Muhammad Salman of Pakistan 10-0 in 46 seconds.
Awards, Rewards and Recognition
- Arjuna AwardArjuna awardThe Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
, 2005
For the bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaRajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaThe Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...
award (joint), India's highest sporting honour. - 55 lakhLakhA lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
cash award and promotion to Assistant Commercial Manager from chief ticketing inspector by Railway Ministry (his employer) - 50 lakh cash award from the Delhi Government.
- 25 lakh cash award by the HaryanaHaryanaHaryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
Government. - 25 lakh cash award by the Steel Ministry of India.
- 5 lakh cash award by RK Global Shares and Securities Limited.
- 5 lakh cash award by the Maharashtra State Government.
- 10 Lakh cash award from MTNL.
For the gold medal at 2010 World Wrestling Championships
- 10 Lakh cash award from Indian Railways (his employer) & out-of-turn promotion from his current position of Asst. Commercial Manager.
- 10 Lakh cash award from Sports Authority of IndiaSports Authority of IndiaThe Sports Authority of India is a body set up by the Government of India. It was created in 1984 to help promote sport throughout the country. Presently, it has seven regional centres at Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Sonepat, Delhi, Mumbai and Imphal and two sub-centres at Guwahati and...
, (Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
). - 15 Lakh cash award from State Government of DelhiGovernment of DelhiThe Government of Delhi is the supreme governing authority of the Indian national capital territory of Delhi and its 9 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, a judiciary and a legislative...
.
See also
- India at the 2008 Summer OlympicsIndia at the 2008 Summer OlympicsIndia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. India was represented by the Indian Olympic Association . A contingent of 56 athletes represented India, and they had a support-staff of 42 officials...
- Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 66 kg