Top wrestlers of India who won in the Olympics

By Yamini Sharma On Jul 26, 2022

Wrestling is one of the world’s oldest competitive sports. The Greco-Roman style of wrestling was added to the Olympic programme at the 1896 Athens Games, but was not included at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

Meanwhile, freestyle wrestling made its debut at the 1904 Games in St Louis. The women’s events, however, were not added to the Olympic programme until 2004.

India has won Olympic various medals in wrestling. It all started with a bronze medal for KD Jadhav at the 1952 Olympics, and Sushil Kumar broke the streak 56 years later in Beijing 2008. He added a third medal with a silver in London in 2012. Yogeshwar Dutt also won a bronze medal that year, before Sakshi Malik won the same colour medal in Rio in 2016.

The top wrestlers of India who won in the olympics:

Udey Chand

He was the first person from independent India to win an individual World Championship medal.

He was also the first athlete to receive the Arjun award for wrestling in 1961. Chand is from the Haryana district of Hisar.

He began his wrestling career in the Indian army and competed in three Olympics: Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, and Mexico City 1968. He made headlines for his efforts during the Mexico Olympics, finishing sixth in the tournament. He was the undisputed national champion between 1958 and 1970.

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
During the Summer Olympics in Helsinki in 1952, K.D. Jadhav became the first athlete from independent India to win an Olympic medal. He received a bronze medal. He competed in two Olympics during his career, in 1948 and 1952.
After retiring from international competition, he became a sub-inspector with the Bombay Police Department, where he won several competitions. He also served as a national sports instructor.

Bishambar Singh

Bishambar Singh, one of the greatest Indian wrestlers and a prominent name in wrestling during the late 1960s, was the first and only Indian to win a silver medal at the World Wrestling Championship in 1967. When he won the Hind Kesari title in 1962, he became a household name.

Singh competed in two Olympics (1964, 1968), winning the Arjuna award for his performance at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Bishamber left wrestling to work as a sports officer for the railways after a successful career. The Indian Style Wrestling Association of India also gave him the Bhishma Pitama award.

Sakshi Malik

She became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal when she took bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Sakshi Malik began wrestling because her grandfather, who was also a wrestler, inspired her. She began her career in 2010 when she won a bronze medal in 58 kg freestyle wrestling at the World Junior Championship.

Sakshi competed in various tournaments in weight categories ranging from 58 to 63kg, winning numerous medals including the Asian Championship and Commonwealth Games. She was also awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2016) and the Padma Shri in 2016. (2017).

Deepak Punia

Deepak had a fantastic wrestling season in 2019. After making history by becoming the first Indian to win gold at the Junior World Wrestling Championships, he went on to win silver at the senior level and earn a spot for India in the 86kg category at the Tokyo Olympics.

He won another medal at the Asian Championships just a few months after winning a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Nur Sultan. Deepak’s meteoric rise has given India a strong chance of winning its first heavyweight medal.

Yogeshwar Dutt

When he won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, he became one of three Indian wrestlers to win an Olympic medal. Yogeshwar Dutt won the bronze medal in the 60kg weight class. The Indian government bestowed upon him the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Padma Shri.

Dutt has competed in a number of championships throughout his career, including the Commonwealth Games and Championships, as well as the Asian Games and Championships. In each of those tournaments, he finished first, earning a gold medal.

Bajrang Punia

He is the only Indian wrestler to have won three World Wrestling Championship medals. Punia began wrestling when he was seven years old, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a wrestler. He began his wrestling career by winning a bronze medal at the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships. Later in his career, Bajrang Punia was able to win a medal in each of the competitions in which he competed. Between 2016 and 2018, he won six gold medals at various international competitions.

He also received the Arjuna Award (2015), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2019), and the Padma Shri (2019). He is also one of the athletes who has secured a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.