Thanks to wrestler Vicky Chahar, India has been able to add
another feather to its cap. After defeating Uzbekistan’s Ajiniyaz Saparniyazov
5-3, the Olympic athlete earned bronze in the 92 kg category at the Asian
Wrestling Championships.

Vicky Chahar is a product of the Chattarsal Akhara in Delhi, which
has produced some of the country’s finest wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia,
Deepak Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Sushil Kumar, and Yogeshwar Dutt. Vicky has
progressively evolved and risen through the ranks on the wrestling mat.

Also read: Asian Wrestling Championships: India signs off with 17 medals

Chahar’s first breakthrough came in 2016, when he won bronze medals
in the sub-junior division at the Asian and World Championships. He also won
the gold medal in sub-junior nationals in the same year.

So who is Vicky Chahar?

The 21-year-old wrestler from Haryana’s Jhajjar district began his
career in sports when he was 12 years old.

He used to bathe at a pond in his village, near which there was a
mud ‘Akhara’ (wrestling field) where he began wrestling on his father’s
insistence. He moved to Satya Akhara in Birdhana village in 2012, which was 14
kilometres away from his hometown.

Till 2016, Chahar used to wrestle in mud, which made his transition
to the mat difficult. It got even harder when he lost in the Haryana State
trials and was deprived of competent training partners. However, soon his
transition was rapid and proved to be highly effective, as seen by his
medal-winning streak in the same year.

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In 2018, he was accepted into the Chattarsal Akhara, where he is
taught by his idol, two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar. 

Chahar’s father and grandfather were both wrestlers but were unable
to continue owing to injuries and financial constraints. They gave up wrestling
in favour of farming. Chahar, on the other hand, is motivated to establish a
name for himself in wrestling, and based on his current performance, it appears
like he is well on his way.

Another Indian wrestler has won a medal in the Asian Wrestling
Championships. Deepak Punia has won silver in the 86 kg category against
Kazakhstan’s Azmat Dauletbekovm, who won gold.