Wrestling, commonly called Kushti or Pehlwani in India, is a beloved sport in the country that has produced multiple 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 documented in the Indian Vedas and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is no surprise that wrestling is one of the most revered sports in India. Many Indian wrestlers have made the country proud with their international achievements. Wrestlers are becoming increasingly popular as a result of their contributions to the nation and their great respect for society. Let’s take a look at the 10 most famous Indian wrestlers.
Related: Top 10 Famous Female Wrestlers in India
1. Sushil Kumar
Source: The Indian Express
Sushil Kumar is arguably the greatest Indian wrestler of the modern era 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 highly technical yet fierce fighting skills. Even at the highest levels, he thwarted his competition. In 2010, Kumar became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Because he contracted a stomach virus just before the final of the London 2012 Olympics, Sushil Kumar lost the coveted gold medal and had to settle for silver. He failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and came into controversy for sabotaging Narsingh Yadav’s career by involving him in a doping scandal with contaminated supplements.
2. Geeta Phogat
Source: HerZindagi
Geeta Phogat is one of India’s most famous wrestlers and was a pioneer in women’s wrestling in the country. Phogat and her sister Babita were trained by her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler who saw great potential in the couple. At that time, girls were prohibited from wrestling in most of the country. But with the guidance and support of her family, Geeta overcame social barriers to become one of the greatest female wrestlers in Indian history. She even got a film made on the Phogat family: Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Geeta Phogat won India’s first gold medal in wrestling at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
3. Bajrang Punia
Source: Khel now
Bajrang Punia is an Indian wrestler from Haryana known for his athleticism and quickness. Although his career has been plagued by injuries, Punia has managed to come back stronger and stronger. Bajrang Punia is the only Indian wrestler to have won 4 medals (1 silver and 3 bronze) at the World Championships. He is also an Asian Games gold medalist and a two-time Commonwealth gold medalist. However, Punia’s greatest achievement is perhaps his bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Punia defeated Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov by a margin of 8-0 despite a knee injury. At 28 years old, Punia hopes to represent India again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Related: Bajrang Punia Biography: Wife, Gold Medals, Age, Medal, Brother, Status, Diet, Records & Other Details
4. Yogeshwar Dutt
Source: DNA India
Yogeshwar Dutt is another famous wrestler from the Indian state of India. Dutt started training at a young age and overcame many obstacles to win medals at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Dutt has been an inspiration to many Indian wrestlers and 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 Independent India’s first individual medalist at the Olympics. Jadhav was famous for his small stature and his lightning speed. He won a bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and later served as a wrestling coach.
Related: Google Doodle: Who is Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal?
6. Deepak Punia
Source: The Indian Express
Deepak Punia is another promising young wrestler in India. He won a silver medal at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan and at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Punia is a junior officer in the Indian Army and competes in the 86kg weight category.
7. Vinesh Phogat
Source: Hindustan Times
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat is a member of the well-known Phogat family. Vinesh is originally from Haryana and was mentored by her uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat, when she was young. Vinesh is one of India’s most talented wrestlers and was on a roll at the 2016 Rio Olympics. An injury in the quarterfinals ended her medal hopes, but she made a spectacular comeback two years later, winning the gold at both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
8. Ravi Kumar Dahiya
Source: Haribhoomi
Ravi Kumar Dahiya is an Indian wrestler hailing from Haryana who rose to fame by winning the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dahiya was losing by a whopping 9 points in the semi-final, but miraculously recovered and pinned his opponent in the final moments of the fight to win by fall. Dahiya lost the final on points and recorded his name in the annals of history. At just 23 years old, Dahiya has a bright future ahead of her and has also won gold at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
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9. Sakshi Malik
Source: The Bridge
Sakshi Malik is one of India’s most prolific female wrestlers. She created history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning the bronze medal and becoming India’s first Olympic medalist. Surprisingly, Malik replaced Indian wrestling icon Geeta Phogat, who was injured at the time. Sakshi Malik currently works for Indian Railways and recently won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
10. Pehelwan Range
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, also known as The Great Gama, was a strongman and fighter in British India. Born in Amritsar, Gama remained undefeated throughout his career and also won the Rustam-e-Hind (Indian Wrestling Championship). Due to lack of quality competition in India, Gama started challenging international wrestlers and defeated many acclaimed wrestlers and judokas. Gama’s skills and training regiment even inspired Bruce Lee.
|
No sir |
Fighter |
Greatest achievement |
|
1 |
Sushil Kumar |
Silver – London 2012 Olympic Games Gold – Moscow World Wrestling Championships 2010 |
|
2 |
Geeta Phogat |
Gold – New Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games |
|
3 |
Bajrang Punia |
Bronze – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Silver – Budapest World Wrestling Championships 2018 |
|
4 |
Yogeshwar Dutt |
Bronze – London 2012 Olympic Games |
|
5 |
KD Jadhav |
Bronze – Helsinki Olympic Games 1952 |
|
6 |
Deepak Punia |
Silver – Nur-Sultan World Wrestling Championships 2019 |
|
5 |
Vinesh Phogat |
Gold – Jakarta Asian Games 2018 Gold – Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 |
|
8 |
Ravi Kumar Dahiya |
Silver – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games |
|
9 |
sakshi malik |
Gold – Rio 2016 Olympic Games Gold – Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 |
|
10 |
The great range |
Rustam-e-Hind World Heavyweight Championship (1910) |
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