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Sushil Kumar

About Sushil Kumar

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Who is Sushil Kumar?

A three-time Olympian, Sushil Kumar is an Indian wrestler who has won two medals at the quadrennial event. He is the first sportsperson from India to win two medals in individual events at the Olympics for independent India. Previously, only Indian Hockey players were able to achieve the feat of winning more than one medal at the Olympics. His first Olympic medal in 2008, a bronze, was India’s second in wrestling, and was the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won bronze at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

Kumar was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest honour for sportspersons, in July 2019. In the Queen’s Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games Opening ceremony, he handed the Queen’s Baton to Prince Charles. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2006 and the Padma Shree in 2011.
 

Sushil Kumar's arrest

Kumar’s career took an unexpected turn after Delhi Police arrested him in May 2021 in connection with the murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhar during a fight in the Chhatrasal Stadium.
 

 Sushil Kumar's early life

He was born in a village near Najafgarh in South West Delhi. His father Diwan Singh was a driver in MTNL Delhi. Kumar's mother, Kamla Devi, is a housewife. He was inspired by his father and cousin to take up wrestling. He completed his graduation and post-graduation from Noida College of Physical Education, Dadri. Sushil Kumar was employed with the Indian Railways but got suspended after his arrest in the murder case.
 

Sushil Kumar's wrestling career

Sushil Kumar’s career began at the age of 14 with training in pehelwani at the Chhatrasal Stadium’s akhada. He was trained by Yashwir and Ramphal. He was later trained by Arjuna awardee Satpal and then by Gyan Singh and Rajkumar Baisla Gurjar at the Indian Railways camp.
 
Kumar later switched to freestyle wrestling and his first success came at the World Cadet Games in 1998 where he won the Gold medal. He followed it up with another gold medal at the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship in 2000. In 2003, Kumar moved on to senior competitions and won the bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship and a gold at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship.  In the 2003 World Championship, Kumar came 4th but it was shadowed by his poor performance in the 2004 Athens Olympics, his first Olympic appearance. He bounced back to win gold at the 2005 and 2007 editions of the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. He then finished 7th at the World Championship in 2007. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kumar went on to finish third and win bronze for India. In 2010, Kumar became the first Indian to win a world title in wrestling. He bettered his previous Olympics performance in the 2012 London Olympics with a silver medal. His last major international gold medal came at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. He couldn’t participate in the 2016 Olympics after a court battle for selection trial went against him.

Latest Updates on Sushil Kumar

After Nitish Kumar split away from the NDA in 2022, the BJP said that its doors w ere permanently closed to Bihar's longest-serving chief minister

Updated On: 26 Jan 2024 | 5:20 PM IST

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Updated On: 07 Mar 2023 | 8:39 PM IST

In October last year, the court had framed charges against Sushil Kumar and 17 others, setting the stage for their trial

Updated On: 07 Mar 2023 | 7:31 AM IST

Sushil Kumar's counsel Pradeep Rana told IANS that his client has got interim bail to look after his ailing wife

Updated On: 04 Nov 2022 | 10:41 PM IST

A Delhi court Wednesday framed charges against Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and 17 others in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case, setting the stage for their trial

Updated On: 12 Oct 2022 | 5:47 PM IST

The Tihar Jail administration said they had earlier planned to involve Kumar in sports activities, but the plan had to be halted in view of the third wave of COVID-19 in Delhi

Updated On: 05 Mar 2022 | 3:23 PM IST

Former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi rubbished charges of political vendetta levelled against his party by supporters of RJD president Lalu Prasad.

Updated On: 21 Feb 2022 | 10:05 PM IST

The manner in which Chopra bossed the field with his 87.58m throw fulfilled the aspirations of a nation that had not seen a track and field Olympic champion in its 74-year old sporting history

Updated On: 30 Dec 2021 | 12:48 PM IST

A Delhi court on Tuesday denied bail to Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case.

Updated On: 05 Oct 2021 | 6:13 PM IST

Sushil Kumar on Monday moved a Delhi court seeking bail in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case, saying that the police built a false case and presented a 'guilty image' of him

Updated On: 04 Oct 2021 | 5:27 PM IST

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday asserted that most of the steps for welfare of Other Backward Classes have taken place whenever his party was in power in Bihar or at the Centre.

Updated On: 31 Aug 2021 | 9:34 PM IST

A Delhi court on Friday took cognizance of the charge sheet filed against Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and 12 others in Sagar Dhankar murder case

Updated On: 06 Aug 2021 | 8:28 PM IST

Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar wanted to re-establish his supremacy among younger wrestlers, the Delhi Police has said in its charge sheet filed in the murder case

Updated On: 03 Aug 2021 | 11:41 AM IST

Delhi Police filed a charge sheet against Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and 19 others in connection with alleged murder of former junior national wrestling champion at Chhatrasal Stadium.

Updated On: 02 Aug 2021 | 3:59 PM IST

Police said so far, 13 people have been arrested in the case

Updated On: 23 Jul 2021 | 1:14 AM IST

Delhi Prison authorities allowed two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl, to watch television in the common area of his ward

Updated On: 22 Jul 2021 | 9:12 PM IST

Delhi Police is likely to submit its first chargesheet in the Sagar Dhankar murder case in the first week of August, Crime Branch sources said on Wednesday

Updated On: 21 Jul 2021 | 12:29 PM IST

The Delhi Police has initiated an inquiry after its personnel were seen clicking photos with two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar

Updated On: 26 Jun 2021 | 6:03 PM IST

The custody has been extended till June 25

Updated On: 11 Jun 2021 | 3:45 PM IST

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a close aide of Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl in which a wrestler died and his two friends were injured

Updated On: 11 Jun 2021 | 12:12 PM IST