Greco-Roman Wrestler Sunil Kumar Wins Bronze at Senior Asian Championship

Indian Greco-Roman wrestler Sunil Kumar has added another medal to his impressive collection by winning bronze at the 2025 Senior Asian Championship being held in Amman, Jordan. The wrestler from Dabarpur village, who represented India in the 87kg weight category, defeated his Chinese opponent in the bronze medal match.

Kumar's journey in the tournament saw him defeat Tajikistan's wrestler Sukhrob Abdulkhayev in an earlier round. However, he faced defeat in the semifinal against Iran's Yasin Ali Yazdi, which put him in the bronze medal contest. 

The Wrestling Federation of India congratulated Kumar on his achievement, while celebrations erupted in his native village of Dabarpur. Relatives and villagers distributed sweets to celebrate this significant accomplishment.

Pride of the Family 

"We are proud of our son," said Anita Devi, Sunil Kumar's mother, expressing her joy at his achievement. Family members including his sister Renu, sister-in-law Kiran, aunt Rajbala Devi, and brother Sumit Malik joined in the celebrations, along with many villagers including Sunil Numberdar, Manoj Kumar, Ramchandra, Dilbag, and others. 

Medal Winner Since 2018

This latest achievement adds to Kumar's impressive medal collection in Greco-Roman wrestling. His notable achievements include:

• A historic bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which was India's first wrestling medal in 13 years
• Gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
• Silver medal at the 2019 World Ranking Series 
• Bronze medal at the 2019 Junior Asian Wrestling Championship 
• Silver medal at the 2019 Senior Asian Championship 
• Gold medal at the 2020 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship
• Silver medal at the 2020 World Ranking Series
• Bronze medals consistently at Senior Asian Championships from 2021 to 2023
• Gold medal at the 2022 Senior Asia Under-23 Championship 
• Gold medal at the 2022 World Ranking Series
• Gold medal at the 2023 World Ranking Series 

Arjuna Award Recipient

In January 2024, Kumar was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The award recognized his excellent and consistent performance in Greco-Roman style wrestling. Notably, this was the first time since 2013 that a wrestler had received this honor.