Hyderabad: Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. It was known as 'Mall-Yuddha' in India. The primary objective of the sports was to stay fit, but later it gained popularity and became a professional sport. A wrestling match, which just lasts for a few seconds or minutes, is one of the major Olympic sports. In every Olympics, wrestlers from different categories vie for the top honour.
Here, in this article, we discuss five legendary wrestlers who reformed the sport in India.
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav (K D Jadhav)
KD Jadhav is independent India's first individual Olympic medal winner. He won a wrestling medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. When he won the medal celebrations at home were extremely muted, unlike the mega hype around Sushil Kumar and the new generation of Indian boxing. He had also taken part in the 1948 Olympics, but due to his unfamiliarity with wrestling on the mat, he couldn't do match. After returning from London he trained on the mat and got the result four years later.
But the legendary wrestler from Maharashtra was left to die in poverty. Despite being India's first individual Olympic medallist, he didn't receive anything from the government or sports federations, apart from a posthumous Arjuna award in 2001. KD Jadhav's achievement was undermined when the gold medal-winning Indian hockey team was given a gala welcome in ceremonies across the country.
Though he couldn't see the impact of his Olympic medal haul as a living wrestler, the sport he had played has become a major medal winner for India at Olympics in the new millennium.
KD Jadhav died in a road accident in 1984.
Sushil Kumar Solanki
Sushil Kumar Solanki is one of the most decorated Indian wrestlers in freestyle division. He is a two-time Olympic medallist. He won bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games and then a silver in the 2012 London Games. He is the only Indian to win two Olympic medals. Sushil is also three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and five-time Commonwealth Championship gold medal winners. In 2010, he won World Championships gold in Russia. In the same year, he clinched the yellow metal in Asian Championships. In 2006 Doha Asian Games, Sushil Kumar won bronze in 66kg freestyle category.
Sakshi Malik
Sakshi Malik is an Indian freestyle wrestler. In 2016 Rio Olympics, she scripted history when she became the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. Sakshi won a bronze medal in the 58kg category.
She also won silver medals in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and 2017 Asian Championships in Doha. Before coming into limelight Sakshi has to battled hardships to excel in wrestling. Sakshi was born in Mokhra village of Haryana's Rohtak district to Sukhbir, a bus conductor, and Sudesh Malik, who was a supervisor at local Anganwadi.
With Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships medals in her kitty she is one of the legends of Indian wrestling, first of female wrestling.
Yogeshwar Dutt
Another freestyle wrestler in the list. Yogeshwar Dutt is the only second Indian male wrestler to win Olympic medal. In 2012 Summer Olympics, the former wrestler won a bronze medal in freestyle category alongside Sushil Kumar. Yogeshwar is also a 2014 Asian Games gold medallist. He also won two Commonwealth Games gold medals. In Commonwealth Championship, he bagged three gold and two silver.
Recognising his contribution to the sport, Yogeshwar Dutt was conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2012 and prestigious Padma Shri award in 2013.
The Great Gama
Ghulam Muhammad, popularly known as 'The Great Gama or Gama Pehalwan, remains a legendary sportsperson from pre-Independence India. He was born on May 22, 1878, in Amritsar, Punjab. When he wrestled the sport was not greatly organised. But he was indisputable king of wrestling. With an undefeated career spanning over five decades, The Great Gama had built his career in wrestling in the muds and akharas of rural India. He was known for his impeccable technique.
He was declared the World Heavyweight champion on October 15, 1910, after he defeated international wrestlers in London. Such was his popularity that even Bruce Lee drew inspiration from him.
Gama was so powerful that he once lifted a stone weighing over 1,200kg that left the Baroda audience gasping. The stone is now preserved in the Baroda Museum.
He started his wrestling as a 10-year-old boy as he went on to defeat every wrestler who challenged him. He was just 5 feet 7 inches.
After being crowned World Heavyweight champion in 1910 he took on western wrestlers and defeated world champions like Stanislaus Zbyszko, Frank Gotch, and Benjamin Roller.
After the partition in 1947 Gama moved to Pakistan. He died in Lahore in 1960 after a prolonged illness.
