Sushil Kumar Solanki is an Indian freestyle wrestler from Najafgarh, Delhi, widely regarded as one of the most decorated athletes in Indian wrestling history. Competing primarily in the 66 kg freestyle category, he became the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals in successive Games, taking bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012.
| Full name | Sushil Kumar Solanki |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 May 1983, Baprola, Najafgarh, Delhi |
| Sport | Wrestling (Freestyle) |
| Weight category | 66 kg (earlier 60 kg, later 74 kg) |
| Coach | Satpal Singh (also his father-in-law) |
| Akhara | Chhatrasal Stadium, Delhi |
| Olympic medals | Bronze (Beijing 2008), Silver (London 2012) |
| World Championship gold | 2010, Moscow |
| Civilian honours | Arjuna Award (2005), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2009), Padma Shri (2011) |
| Employment | Indian Railways (Northern Railway) |
Sushil Kumar was born into a Jat family in Baprola village in the Najafgarh area of south-west Delhi. His father, Diwan Singh, worked as a driver for the Delhi Transport Corporation, and his cousin Sandeep was also a wrestler. Encouraged by his family's pehlwani tradition, he began training at the Chhatrasal Stadium akhara in Model Town, Delhi, at the age of 14, under the tutelage of Satpal Singh, himself a Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Sushil first attracted national attention by winning the World Cadet Games gold in 1998 and the Asian Junior Wrestling Championship in 2000. He won his first senior medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in 2003 and a bronze at the Asian Wrestling Championships the same year.
Sushil made his Olympic debut at Athens 2004 in the 60 kg freestyle category but was eliminated in the early rounds, finishing 14th.
Competing in the 66 kg category, Sushil lost his opening bout but progressed through the repechage, defeating Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan in the bronze medal match. It was India's first individual Olympic medal in wrestling since K. D. Jadhav in 1952.
At the FILA World Wrestling Championships held in Moscow in September 2010, Sushil defeated Alan Gogaev of Russia in the 66 kg final to become the first Indian to win an individual gold at the senior World Wrestling Championships.
At the Delhi Commonwealth Games, he won gold in the 66 kg freestyle event, contributing to India's strong wrestling showing on home soil.
Sushil reached the 66 kg freestyle final at London 2012, defeating Ramazan Sahin of Turkey and Akzhurek Tanatarov of Kazakhstan en route. He lost the final to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu of Japan, settling for silver. With this medal, he became the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals in consecutive editions, a record later equalled by P. V. Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra.
He was India's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
Sushil moved up to the 74 kg category in subsequent competitions. He won gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and again at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He did not qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics after a selection dispute with Narsingh Yadav, which was litigated before the Delhi High Court.
In May 2021, Sushil Kumar was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the death of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhar, following a brawl at the Chhatrasal Stadium on 4 May 2021. He was placed in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, and the case has been under trial in the Rohini courts.
Sushil Kumar's success was a turning point for Indian wrestling, helping shift the discipline from akhara-based pehlwani traditions to internationally competitive mat wrestling. The Chhatrasal Stadium akhara, which also produced Olympic medallists Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia, became a leading centre for elite wrestling training partly on the strength of his achievements.