Pooja Dhanda
Personal information
NationalityIndian
Born (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994[1]
Budana village, Hisar district, Haryana, India[2]
Height162 cm (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
CountryIndia
SportWrestling
EventFreestyle wrestling
College teamgovernment college of Hissar
Coached byKuldeep Singh Bishnoi, Chander Soni
Medal record
Representing  India
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2018 Budapest57 kg
Women's Freestyle wrestling
2014 Asian Wrestling Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Astana 58 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Ashgabat 58 kg
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast57 kg
Youth Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2010 Singapore60 kg
Updated on 25 August 2018.

Pooja Dhanda (born 1 January 1994) is an Indian wrestler from Budana village of Hisar district in Haryana,[3] who won Bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships at Budapest in 57 kg weight class. She won Silver medals at 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in 60 kg and 57 kg category respectively. The grappler also won a Bronze at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championship. Pooja has defeated Olympic and World Championship medalists.[4] Government of India honoured her with the Arjuna award for outstanding performance in the field of Sports.[5]

Early life

Pooja was born in Budana village of Hisar district in Haryana.[3] The daughter of a tractor driver with the Haryana Animal Husbandry Centre in Hisar, Dhanda started as a judo player at Mahabir Stadium but switched to wrestling in 2009.[3] Pooja Dhanda is the daughter of Kamlesh Dhanda and father, Ajmer who was an athlete himself.[4] She began her sporting journey with Judo in 2007. She was still below the minimum age required to participate in wrestling federation competitions, and hence started playing Judo. Pooja first secured a Bronze medal at Asian Cadet Judo Championship at Hyderabad in 2007 and then won a Gold at the same event in its 2008 edition.[6][7]

Despite the achievements, former India wrestler and coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi advised her to make wrestling her career. Pooja began to train for wrestling under coach Subhash Chander Soni at Hisar in 2009.[7]

In 2010 Pooja won Silver in wrestling at the Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.[7] Pooja won against famous grappler Babita Phogat in the final of the National Championship in 2013 and then won a Bronze medal at the Asian Championship in 2014. But a ligament injury in 2015 almost ended her career.[4]

The challenge was not only psychological but also of lack of financial resources. She had to undergo surgeries in Mumbai and follow a long process of rehabilitation. Government paid for her treatment, but rehabilitation costs, physiotherapist’s fee and rent were significant. Employed with Haryana Sports Department as a wrestling coach, Pooja was on leave without pay.[7]

Career

After switching to wrestling in 2009, as a young sportswoman, Pooja's career took off on a promising note when she won the silver medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the 60 kg category.[8] After she debuted in the national championship in 2013,she participated in the World Wrestling Championship for the first time but was out of the event after a loss in the first round.[4] she defeated Babita Phogat in the final, followed by a Bronze medal in Asian Wrestling Championship at Astana in 2014.[4] and has since won all four senior national championships by 2017. In the Pro Wrestling League season 3, she has defeated World and Olympic champion Helen Maroulis of the USA twice, World Championship silver medallist and Olympic bronze medallist Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria and World Championship silver medallist Marwa Amri.[3]

Pooja was screened and originally selected to play the role of Babita Phogat in blockbuster Dangal (2016), which she could not play due to an injury. However, Pooja later competed against and defeated senior Phogat sister Geeta Phogat in the real-life 2018 Commonwealth Games selection trials.[9]

She won silver medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in the women's 57 kg freestyle wrestling after losing to Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye 7-5 in the final at the Carrara Sports Arena 1.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Pooja, Dhanda (IND)". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Sharma, Chetan (13 February 2018). "Pooja Dhanda: Star in the making". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Once a judoka, Pooja Dhanda wants to win laurels in wrestling, Times of India, 25 Feb 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "पूजा ढांडा: जिन्होंने कुश्ती को सफलता के शिखर तक पहुंचाया". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "pooja dhanda arjuna award". ANI NEWS.
  6. ↑ "भारतीय कुश्ती की नई 'दंगल गर्ल'". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). 23 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Judoka-turned wrestler Pooja Dhanda up for World Wrestling Championship challenge". The Bridge. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Commonwealth Games 2018: Pooja Dhanda aims for gold in debut after recovering from career-threatening injury - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Pooja defeats real-life 'Dangal' girl Geeta - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  10. ↑ CWG 2018: Pooja Dhanda wins silver, Divya Kakran bags bronze as India's medal rush in wrestling continue, Times Now News, 13 April 2018.
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