Sunil Kumar (Wrestler) Height, Weight, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sunil Kumar

• Sunil Kumar is an Indian wrestler, who won a bronze medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 87 kg event at the 19th Asian Games in 2023 and a gold medal in the men’s 87 kg Greco-Roman category at the 2020 Asian Championships.

• In 2007, Sunil’s father, Ashwini Kumar, attended a wedding where he had the opportunity to meet and interact with some accomplished Pehelwans (wrestlers). He was greatly inspired by the respect and recognition given to these wrestlers at the event, which led him to decide that one of his children would pursue a career in wrestling. ^[2]ESPN

• His wrestling journey began at the Sports Academy of Nidani, Jind.

• Due to financial issues, Sunil’s father, Ashwini Kumar, could not afford a rich diet and specialised, resource-heavy training for more than one of his children, so he came up with a unique method to determine which of his two sons, Sunil and Sumit, would pursue a career in wrestling. He organized a race for them in a muddy crop field. Sunil won the race, which ultimately led his father to select him as the family’s wrestler. ^[3]ESPN

• In an interview, Sunil’s brother, Sumit Kumar, discussed their family’s financial situation after their father’s passing, Sumit shared,
  

  In 2010, we lost our father in a road accident. It was very difficult for us. Sunil’s school fees, room, board and diet in Nidani cost us some seven thousand rupees a month. That’s very expensive for us, but we managed somehow. There were times when our mother would take loans just to pay for his expenses. We even leased out our farmland for money. We had a couple of buffaloes and the milk of one of them was kept just for Sunil.” ^[4]ESPN

• After his father’s passing in 2010, he decided to leave wrestling; however, he changed his decision to do so after his mother’s encouragement to fulfil his father’s dream.

• He initially competed in freestyle wrestling; however, he shifted to the Greco-Roman format in 2015.

• In December 2017, Sunil joined the Air Force as an airman. After serving in the Indian Air Force for a year, he decided to become a Ticket Collector (TT) in the Indian Railways in November 2018, fulfilling his family’s wishes.

• In 2019, he reached the finals of the Asian Wrestling Championship but lost to Hussain Ahmed Nouri of Iran.

• In 2020, he made history by winning a gold medal in the Greco-Roman category at the Asian Wrestling Championship after 27 years, which was previously won by Pappu Yadav in 1993.
  

  Sunil Kumar during his final against Azat Salidinov in the final of the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships

• In October 2023, Sunil secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games in the Greco-Roman 87kg category, defeating Atabek Azisbekov from Kazakhstan with a score of 2-1.