Ravi Kumar Dahiya is an Indian freestyle wrestler, famous for winning the gold medal at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi. The victory helped him qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Wiki/Biography
Ravi Kumar Dahiya was born on Saturday, December 12, 1998 in Nakhri, Sonipat, Haryana (age 23; as of 2021). Ravi took an interest in the field of wrestling at an early age and his father enrolled him at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. He trained under Satpal Singh, one of the most famous wrestling coaches.
appearance
Height: 5′7″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Weight (approximately): 57kg
family
Ravi’s father’s name is Rakesh Kumar Dahiya. His mother’s name is unknown. His father was a farmer who worked on rented rice fields.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya’s father Rakesh Kumar Dahiya
Profession
Ravi Kumar started training at the age of ten when his father recruited him at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. He started practicing under the guidance of 1982 Asian Games gold medalist Satpal Singh. Ravi made his international debut in 2015 at the Junior Wrestling Championships in Bahia, El Salvador. In 2019, he participated in the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships held in Xi’an, China. He placed fifth in the event but lost the bronze medal match. In 2020, in the Asian Adult Championships selection, Ravi Kumar Dahiya defeated Pankaj from the Air Force with a score of 10-0 and qualified for the 57kg category . Ravi won a gold medal at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi. In June 2021, Ravi Dahia participated in the Polish Open in Warsaw and defeated Gulomjan Abdullayev in the first round. However, in the last round, Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullayev defeated Ravi Dahiya in the 61kg final, and Ravi had to settle for the silver medal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfgDkBjwL1g
medal
- 2015 World Youth Wrestling Championship Silver Medal (56kg)
- 2018 World U23 Wrestling Championship Silver Medal (57kg)
- 2019 World Wrestling Championship Bronze Medal (57kg)
- 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships Gold Medal (57kg)
- 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships Gold Medal (57kg)
Ravi Kumar poses with gold medal at Asian Championships 2020
Awards
- 2021: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Favorites
Ravi Kumar’s favorite wrestler is Sushil Kumar.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya poses with Sushil Kumar
Facts/Trivia
- Ravi’s father Rakesh Dahiya, a farmer, travels to the Chhatrasal Stadium from his hometown every day to provide milk and fruits to Ravi to ensure that he gets a proper diet during training. He has been traveling every day for nearly a decade to support Ravi’s career choice.
- In 2017, Ravi got injured during training and he had to receive proper treatment. He was advised to avoid falls for nearly a year. In 2018, he returned to participate in the 2018 World U23 Wrestling Championships and won a silver medal in the 57kg category.
Ravi Kumar after winning silver medal at 2018 U23 World Championships
- Apart from national and international competitions, Ravi also represented the Haryana Hammers in the Pro Wrestling League 2019 and remained unbeaten throughout the league.
- Ravi Kumar is preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics and has participated in several qualifying rounds. He defeated European wrestling champion Arsen Harutyunyan in the qualifying round. He then played against 2017 world champion Yuki Takahashi and won in the quarterfinals. However, in the semifinals, Ravi lost to 2019 World Wrestling Championship gold medalist and defending champion Zhar Ugoev.
- Ravi is part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) initiative launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to encourage more and more athletes to train for the Olympics and other events.
- In an interview with the coaches at Chhatrasal Stadium, a senior coach Virender Kumar talked about Ravi and said-
His family is very poor. Despite this, his father managed to bring him milk and fruits to Delhi. We know he also took out loans to pay for his son’s food. So, when the need arises, Chhatrasal’s senior wrestlers and even coaches do what they can. We knew this boy was special. “
- In an interview with The Hindu, Ravi Kumar spoke about a simple thought he had about the Tokyo Olympics. He said-
This is the biggest event. But this is just another incident. I’ve wrestled most of the wrestlers in the ring. I don’t need to take the pressure. “
- After training, Ravi spends some time with his coaches and prepares for games by watching video of his opponents. Ravi said when talking about this –
Everything can be found on the Internet. I watch my opponents play and plan my game accordingly. Likewise, they must be watching my game. “
- In June 2021, the Wrestling Federation of India nominated Deepak Punia, Anshu Malik and Ravi Kumar Dahiya for the Arjuna Awards .
- Ravi Kumar was inspired to join wrestling by Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil Kumar.
- Apart from wrestling, Ravi Kumar also enjoys playing basketball.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya plays basketball
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education