Sushil Kumar wins bronze, Beijing 2008
Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar isn’t just a one-time Olympic medal winner – he has two! The Delhi native, the son of a bus driver, Sushil overcame serious poverty and a lack of training facilities.
He made his mark on the wrestling world at the Asian Games and Championships early on, winning medals with regularity.
At the 2008 Olympics, after crashing out in the freestyle wrestling, he came back with a bang in the repechage, successfully winning his bronze medal match against Kazakh wrestler Leonid Spiridonov – without a masseuse during his Olympic run.
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A consistent performer early on, Sushil Kumar kept his form over the years through Commonwealth Games and the World Wrestling Championships, and at London 2012 went one better – winning silver this time.
He is the only Indian sportsperson to win two individual Olympic medals.
