Bajrang Punia has established himself as the undisputed superstar of Indian wrestling but the road to glory was fraught with temptations
Indian wrestlers' domination at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi continued on Sunday with three more grapplers making it to the final.
As Parineeti Chopra brings Saina Nehwal's story on screen, Joginder Tuteja takes a look at how well Bollywood's sports movies have done at the box office.
Touching feet is the traditional Indian way of showing respect to someone but, as his numerous opponents would vouch, if it's on the wrestling mat and the outstretched arms belong to Yogeshwar Dutt, it normally means danger.
Grapplers Rajender Kumar and Sunil Kumar gave India more reasons to cheer by clinching a gold and bronze respectively in Greco-Roman style wrestling in the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday.
An Olympic event since 1900, water polo has recently been gaining in popularity across the United States but has a long tradition in Eastern Europe, whose national men's teams are perennial medal contenders.
Devendra Jhajharia, on Tuesday became the first para athlete to receive India's highest sporting honour -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with hockey star Sardar Singh, who has endured trying times off the field in the last one year.
'Olympic wrestling is like an old Nokia phone.' 'WWE is like an iPhone.' The Great Khali's academy turns pro-wrestling dreams into reality
The Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh blamed the organisers for the country's dismal show at the World Championships, saying the lack of facilities in Paris resulted in wrestlers losing out on 15 days of training ahead of the mega-event.
Will the fans rush back to the stadium once sport resumes? Will training abroad be as hassle-free as it used to be? What about contact sports where social distancing can't really be practised? Some of India's biggest sportspersons -- current and former -- gave their views on future of sports once the action resumes.
'I have boxed at the amateur level for 15, 16 years and won every medal possible at the world level. I represented India in three Olympics, for 12 years, and that is not an easy thing. I am hoping to replicate my success in pro boxing.'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Here is a flashback of the top moments from the just concluded quadrennial Games...
The deadly COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented postponement as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese government and the athletes world over agreed that Olympics in July-August this year could not have gone ahead in the present circumstances.
Manavi Kapur goes behind the scenes to find out what it takes to be a successful woman wrestler.
It was a celebration of woman power in sports as Olympic stars PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar were on Monday conferred India's highest sporting honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with shooter Jitu Rai in a gleaming awards ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Virat Kohli? M C Mary Kom? Neeraj Chopra?
'We have ensured that whatever he eats or drinks comes in a packaged form and is thoroughly checked.'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
The suspense over wrestler Narsingh Yadav's Olympic participation was on Thursday prolonged further after the National Anti-Doping Agency deferred its final verdict on the doping scandal surrounding him to Saturday or Monday at the end of a two-day hearing in New Delhi. A day after Narsingh and his lawyers presented their case on the failed dope test, which according to them, was a conspiracy against the grappler, NADA's legal team gave its arguments against the sabotage theory before the disciplinary committee. "Hearing has been concluded today (Thursday). The judgement will come out either on Saturday or Monday," NADA's lawyer Gaurang Kanth told reporters at the end of the hearing.
Chanu, who is employed with the Indian Railways, lifted 85kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk to total an impressive 194kg in the women's 48kg, setting a new national record in the process.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik, on Friday, said athletes have the right to compete against fellow rivals anywhere in the world.
Haryana on Wednesday honoured its 'daughter' Sakshi Malik by appointing her as brand ambassador of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign and presenting the Olympic bronze medallist a cheque of Rs 2.5 crore.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
Wrestler Sandeep Tomar secured an Olympic quota place for India in the men's 57kg freestyle category with a bronze-medal finish on the final day of the 1st World Olympic Qualifying tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Bahrain's Ruth Jebet blew away the competition to win the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase gold on Sunday, but narrowly missed out on the world record. Jebet ran a bold race, bursting into the lead after a few laps and setting a blistering pace to win in 8 minutes, 59.75 seconds, just shy of the 8:58.81 world record set by Russia's Gulnara Galkina at the 2008 Beijing Games.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
'Somehow the Flying Sikh has endured in people's memory.'
'Shooting is number one.' 'Archery, wrestling, badminton and boxing.' 'These are the five where we stand the best chance of winning a medal.'
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Raninder Singh took upon himself the blame for the shooters' dismal outing at the Rio Olympics, saying it was a mistake on his part to allow the athletes to train with personal coaches.
India's hope of a medal from the Olympics wrestling competition suffered a rude jolt when their main star Yogeshwar Dutt crashed out after losing to Japan's Kenichi Yumoto 3-6 in the quarter-finals of the 60 kg freestyle in Beijing on Tuesday.
Star grappler Sakshi Malik bagged a silver medal for India in the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championship after losing to Japan's Risako Kawai in women's 60kg category in New Delhi, on Friday.
Commonwealth Games: The event Photographs
What a year Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh and Anirban Lahiri had!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, hosted the National Sports awardees, including Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu and bronze winner Sakshi Malik, at his 7 Race Course Road residence in New Delhi.
A grand welcome awaits Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik when she arrives home on Wednesday, with hectic preparations underway to give her a rousing reception at her village Mokhra Khas in Rohtak district. When Sakshi touches down at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at around 3:50 a.m. tomorrow, as many as five ministers of the BJP Government in Haryana will be there to receive her.
Cricket was the first to hit the restart button in Indian sports with the IPL, albeit on foreign shores of UAE, in a strict bio-secure bubble.
This is the first time that an Indian wrestler has earned an Olympic berth with a medal at the World Championship.
