Ravi Kumar Dahiya is an Indian freestyle wrestler who competes in the men's 57 kg category. He is best known for winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming one of a small group of Indian wrestlers to reach an Olympic final. He has also won multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships and the Asian Wrestling Championships.
Key facts
| Full name | Ravi Kumar Dahiya |
|---|---|
| Sport | Wrestling (freestyle) |
| Weight class | 57 kg |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Home village | Nahri, Sonipat district, Haryana |
| Training base | Chhatrasal Stadium, Delhi |
| Major medal | Silver, 2020 Tokyo Olympics |
| Civilian honour | Khel Ratna (2021), Padma Shri (2022) |
Background
Ravi Kumar Dahiya was born in Nahri, a village in the Sonipat district of Haryana, a region with a long tradition of producing Indian wrestlers. He began wrestling as a child and moved to the Chhatrasal Stadium akhara in Delhi at a young age to train under coach Satpal Singh, the same centre that produced Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt. His father, Rakesh Kumar Dahiya, became known for travelling regularly between the village and Delhi to deliver milk and produce to support his son's training.
Career
Early career
Ravi competed at the junior level on the international circuit before moving up to senior competition. He won a silver medal at the 2015 World Junior Wrestling Championships in the 55 kg category, marking him as a prospect at the senior level.
Senior international career
At the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Ravi won a bronze medal in the 57 kg category. The performance also earned him a quota place for India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He won gold medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2020 (New Delhi) and 2021 (Almaty), and continued to take medals at the continental level in subsequent editions.
2020 Tokyo Olympics
At the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, Ravi reached the final of the men's 57 kg freestyle event after wins including a semi-final victory over Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan. He lost the gold-medal bout to Russian wrestler Zavur Uguev and won the silver medal. He became the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver medal, after Sushil Kumar.
After Tokyo
Ravi added a bronze medal at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade and represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won gold in the 57 kg freestyle category. He continued to compete on the senior international circuit in the years that followed, including appearances at Asian Championships and Olympic qualification events.
Honours and awards
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021), India's highest sporting honour, conferred for his Olympic silver medal.
- Padma Shri (2022), one of the highest civilian awards of the Republic of India.
Style and significance
Ravi Kumar Dahiya is known for his stamina, defensive solidity and a strong leg-lace technique that has produced several come-from-behind wins by technical superiority. His Tokyo silver medal contributed to wrestling's status as one of India's most consistent Olympic medal-winning disciplines and reinforced the Chhatrasal Stadium akhara's reputation as a leading training centre for Indian freestyle wrestlers.
Related topics
- Wrestling in India
- Chhatrasal Stadium
- Sushil Kumar
- Yogeshwar Dutt
- Bajrang Punia
- India at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Sonipat district
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
References
- Official results, United World Wrestling (UWW) athlete database.
- Official results, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
- Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, lists of National Sports Awards.