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Sunil Kumar is an Indian wrestler. He secured a bronze medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 87 kg event at the 19th Asian Games and a gold medal in the men’s 87 kg Greco-Roman category at the 2020 Asian Championships.
Wiki/Biography
Sunil Kumar was born on Wednesday, 29 September 1999 (age 24 years; as of 2023) in Dabarpur village, Sonipat district, Haryana, India. His zodiac sign is Libra. His father wanted Sunil to be a wrestler. He began his training at the Sports Academy of Nidani, Jind. After the demise of his father in 2010, he decided to quit wrestling; however, with the encouragement of his mother, he continued his journey as a wrestler.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Weight (approx.): 90 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42″, Waist: 32″, Biceps: 16″
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Ashwini Kumar, was a farmer, and his mother’s name is Anita Devi. In 2010, his father died in a road accident. He has two elder brothers named Monu Kumar and Sumit Kumar and an elder sister named Renu.
Wife
He is unmarried.
Career
Wrestler
He began his career as a freestyle wrestler and later shifted to the Greco-Roman format in 2015. He made his international debut with the 2016 Asian Junior Wrestling Championship. In 2019, he reached the finals of the Asian Wrestling Championship held in China; however, he was defeated by Hussain Ahmed Nouri of Iran in the final match. In 2020, he created history by winning a gold medal after 27 years (by an Indian) in the Greco-Roman category of the Asian Wrestling Championship, which was previously won by Pappu Yadav in 1993. In October 2023, Sunil defeated Atabek Azisbekov from Kazakhstan with a score of 2-1, earning him the bronze medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 87kg category at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Other Works
In December 2017, Sunil enrolled in the Indian Air Force as an airman. After a year of service in the Air Force, he made the decision to join the Indian Railways as a TT in November 2018, at the request of his family members.
Medals
- 2016: Bronze medal in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship
- 2017: Bronze medal in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship
- 2018: Bronze medal in the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship
- 2018: Gold medal in the Asian Under-23 Championship
- 2019: Silver medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship
- 2019: Gold medal in the Asian Under-23 Championship
- 2020: Silver medal in UWW Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series
- 2020: Gold medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship
Sunil Kumar after winning the Gold medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship in 2020
- 2023: Bronze medal in the 19th Asian Games
Sunil Kumar won a Bronze medal in the 19th Asian Games in 2023
Award
Sunil received the Arjuna Award from the President of India Droupadi Murmu on 9 January 2024; the event was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Sunil Kumar while receiving the Arjuna Award from Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
Facts/Trivia
- In 2007, his father, Ashwini Kumar, went to a wedding where he met some Pehelwans (wrestlers). He was so impressed by the honour given to the wrestlers at the function that he decided that one of his children would become a wrestler.
- In an interview, while talking about his family’s financial condition after his father’s death, Sunil’s brother said,
In 2010, we lost our father in a road accident. It was very difficult for us. Sunil’s school fees, room, board and diet in Nidani cost us some seven thousand rupees a month. That’s very expensive for us, but we managed somehow. There were times when our mother would take loans just to pay for his expenses. We even leased out our farmland for money. We had a couple of buffaloes and the milk of one of them was kept just for Sunil.”