Sushil Kumar is an Indian freestyle wrestler who became the first Indian to win back to back individual Olympic medals; he won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Coming from a modest background, he was inspired by his cousin and father to take up wrestling. His family members provided him with all the necessities that he needed in order to make sure that he succeed as a wrestler. Kumar started off as a promising wrestler in the junior levels and went on to win a gold medal at the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship, however , it was not till he won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics that he really came into the limelight as one of India’s best wrestlers. Kumar won medals at most of the major tournaments that he participated in following his performance in Beijing and went on to become the flag bearers for India at the 2012 London Olympics. Unlike the wrestlers of the past, Kumar is also a popular personality and endorses plenty of products. He is without doubt one of India’s best ever freestyle wrestlers and a great role model who has inspired many youngsters to take up the sport of wrestling.
 

Childhood & Early Life
Sushil Kumar was born on 26 May 1983, in Baprola village, located in the outskirts of New Delhi, to Diwan Singh and his wife Kamla Devi. His father was employed as a bus driver at the Delhi Transport Corporation and used to be a wrestling enthusiast in his own right.

Kumar’s cousin Sandeep was a wrestler as well and it was from his cousin that he was inspired to pick up wrestling. His father helped him as well. When he was 14 years old, Kumar started training as a wrestler at the ‘akhada’ or wrestling academy located in Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. One of his trainers was the famous wrestler Satpal.

Sushil Kumar started competing in the junior levels and in 1998 he won his first tournament when he emerged as the gold medal winner at the World Cadet Games. Two years later, he went on to win the gold medal yet again at the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship to emerge as one of the most promising young wrestling talents in the country.
 

Career
In 2003, Kumar participated in the Asian Wrestling Championship held in New Delhi, and ended up as the bronze medal winner in 60kg freestyle category. In the same year he won a gold medal in the freestyle category at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, London.

Sushil Kumar was part of the Indian wrestling contingent at the 2004 Athens Olympics but his performance was not up to the mark and he finished at the 14th position in the 60kg freestyle category.

In 2005, he participated in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, held in Cape Town and won the gold medal in 66kg freestyle category and bronze medal in the 66kg Greco-Roman category. In 2006 Doha Asian Games, he won the bronze medal in the 66kg freestyle category and in the 2007 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, held in London, he once again won the gold medal in 66kg freestyle category.

In 2008 Beijing Olympics he bagged the bronze medal in the 66kg freestyle category. His performance in the Beijing Olympics was all the more creditable because he lost in the first round and made a comeback in the repechage.

In 2010 World Wrestling Championships held in Moscow, Sushil Kumar created history when he became the first Indian to win a world title in wrestling. In the same year, he won the the gold medal in the 66kg freestyle category in the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi.

In 2012, he once again created history when he won the silver medal in the 66kg freestyle category at the London Olympics and became the first Indian to win back to back individual Olympic medals.

In 2014, Sushil Kumar won the gold medal in the 74 kg freestyle category at the Commonwealth Games that took place in Glasgow, Scotland. In the final, he defeated Qamar Abbas of Pakistan in 107 seconds by fall.
 

Awards & Achievements
Sushil Kumar was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2005.

In 2008, he was bestowed with the highest sporting honour in India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

In 2011, he was honoured with Padma Shri—the fourth highest civilian award in India.