Khashaba dadasaheb jadhav

Khashaba Jadhav did not have the physique of a wrestler. He was a short, gawky student who attended Raja Ram College in Kolhapur and aspired to be a pehelwan, just like his father. Tucked away in one corner in Goleshwar, a small town in Maharashtra, Olympic Niwas is an old-fashioned bungalow with a muddy lawn and surrounded by a few coconut trees. But most striking, as one enters the premises, are the Olympic emblems crafted on the gate. As one walks further, Ranjit Jadhav, the man of the house, greets with a smile. “Welcome to the home of independent India’s first individual Olympic medallist, Khashaba Jadhav.” Reporter: Shayan Acharya Photography: Raju Sanadi Editing: Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan

Jadhav, commonly known as “Pocket Dynamo,” was born on January 15, 1926, in the Goleshwar hamlet of Maharashtra. He began his wrestling training there with his father, who was also a wrestler in the community. Jadhav’s first encounter with the London Olympics occurred in 1948 after he had achieved victory in State and National level competitions. Rees Gardner, a former lightweight World champion from the United States, trained Jadhav in London. He placed sixth in the flyweight division under Gardner’s direction. Jadhav competed against more international wrestlers as he went up in weight class to bantamweight over the course of the following four years in preparation for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Community support allowed him to travel to Helsinki, and the Maharaja of Patiala gave him the break he needed to be eligible. Jadahav’s college’s principal, Raja Ram College, further mortgaged his home for 7,000 rupees, and his friends and the shopkeepers of Karad made arrangements for his kit. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav Biography: Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was born on January 15, 1926, in the village of Goleshwar, in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India. He came from a family of farmers and was interested in wrestling from a young age. He trained under his father, who was also a wrestler. Jadhav’s first major international competition was the 1948 London Olympics, where he was eliminated in the first round. He continued to train and compete, and in 1952 he won the bronze medal ...

Google on Sunday celebrated the 97th birth anniversary of legendary Indian wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, also known as Pocket Dynamo, with a doodle. The celebrated wrestler became independent India’s first athlete to clinch an Olympic medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki. The tribute on Google’s home page shows two sketches of the legendary wrestler. In one, Jadhav can be seen in a tactical position, while the other shows him wearing the Indian jersey. Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav’s 97th birth anniversary. (Google Doodle) According to Google Doodle’s After four years of relentless training, Jadhav participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and bested wrestlers from Germany, Mexico, and Canada. He later lost to the eventual title holder but won a bronze medal, becoming the first athlete from independent India to earn a medal. India celebrated Jadhav’s return with a parade of bullock carts that carried him through his hometown village. Take a look at today’s Google Doodle below: Jadhav’s golden wrestling career unfortunately ended before the next Olympics due to his knee injury. He later worked as a police officer before retiring as an Assistant Commissioner in 1983. He was posthumously awarded the Chhatrapati Puraskar in 1992-1993 by the Government of Maharashtra for his contribution to wrestling. To honour his achievement, the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games’ wrestling venue was named after him.

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 97th birthday of Indian wrestler, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav. Khashaba became independent India’s first individual athlete to win an Olympic medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Khashaba Dadasheb Jadhav was born on this day in 1926, in the village Goleshwar in Maharashtra, India. His father was one of the village's best wrestlers, and Jadhav inherited his athleticism. After shining as a swimmer and runner, 10 year-old Jadhav started training as a wrestler with his father. Although Jadhav only grew to 5’5”, his skillful approach and light feet made him one of the best wrestlers at his high school. With further coaching from his father and professional wrestlers, Jadhav won multiple state and national titles. He was especially great at dhak—a wrestling move where he held his opponent in a headlock before throwing him to the ground. Jadhav’s continued success earned the attention of the Maharaj of Kolhapur, during the 1940s. After he dominated an event at the Raja Ram college, the Maharaj of Kolhapur decided to fund his participation in the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Jadhav wasn’t used to international wrestling rules and rarely wrestled on regulation mats. The Olympics pitted him against the best and most-experienced flyweight wrestlers in the world. Despite this, he managed to place 6th, the highest-ever finish for an Indian wrestler at the time. Unsatisfied with his performance, Jadhav spent the next four years training hard...

In search of glory: At Ranjit Jadhav’s home, Olympic Niwas, are preserved the trophies and medals the wrestler won through his career. (Source: Express photo by Arul Horizon) If someone were to write the unwritten legend of Khashaba Jadhav, would it begin this way? The year was 1948. At Raja Ram College, Kolhapur, a short, scrawny student from a nearby village walked up to the sports teacher and said he wanted to compete in wrestling at the annual sports meet. One look at his physique and the teacher snorted, saying he could not allow a weak player on the team. The young man, 23 years old, approached the college principal, who gave him another chance. That was just the opportunity Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav needed to prove naysayers wrong. In bout after bout, he felled bulkier and “stronger” wrestlers to win the event. Or would it begin with a bout in This was a wrestling rivalry as bitter as the one that played out recently, between two-time Olympic-medal winner Sushil Kumar and the contender, Narsingh Yadav. Despite having defeated Das, Jadhav found himself being overlooked in the squad for the 1952 Olympics. He wrote to the Maharaja of Patiala, who was a patron of wrestling, and had a say in the selection. The Maharaja convinced authorities to hold a bout again. For the third time, Jadhav triumphed over Das and qualified for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The 27-year-old went on to create history, becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in an individual s...

Google on January 15, 2023 honoured Indian wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, who won India her first individual Olympic medal after Independence at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, on his 97th birth anniversary. Known as ‘Pocket Dynamo’ Jadhav was born on January 15, 1926 in Maharashtra’s Goleshwar village, where he started training with his father, who was also one of the village’s wrestlers. Following his success at State and National level events, Jadhav’s first brush with the London Olympics came in 1948. In London Jadhav was trained by Rees Gardner, a former lightweight World champion from the United States. It was Gardner’s guidance that saw him finish sixth in the flyweight section. Jadhav spent the next four years training for the upcoming 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and moved up a weight class to bantamweight, pitting him against even more international wrestlers. His journey to Helsinki was made possible by community support, with the Maharaja of Patiala providing the break for him to qualify. The Principal of Jadahav’s college (Raja Ram College) further mortgaged his house for ₹7,000, while the shopkeepers of Karad and his friends arranged for his kit. At Helsinki, Jadhav sailed through the first five rounds, winning almost every other bout inside five minutes. Then came a strong test in the form of Japan’s Shohachi Ishii. Lasting more than 15 minutes, Jadhav lost the match by a point. with Ishii winning the gold. Jadhav was then asked back on the mat to fight Soviet U...

For a ticket to the London Olympics, the 22-year-old Jadhav was pitted against national champion Niranjan Das. At over six feet in height, Das towered over the 5-feet-5-inch Jadhav. But it was Jadhav who found himself on the plane to England in 1948. In London, Jadhav didn't disappoint the Maharaja of Kolhapur, who, according to historical accounts, had financed his trip. Jadhav finished sixth there. It was also 1948 when Jadhav's academic career had moved from the Tilak High School in Karad to the Rajaram College in Kolhapur. A gifted athlete, Jadhav's prowess as a sportsman went beyond wrestling. The captain of the kabaddi team during his high school days, Jadhav was equally adept at swimming, mallakhamb and throwing events in track and field. (Photo Courtesy: Ranjit Jadhav, son) From 1948 to 1952, he ruled the wrestling arena at the Bombay and Poona University championships. Writing about his achievements in the above-mentioned letter to the IG of Maharashtra Police, Jadhav mentions that post his 1952 triumph, he was not allowed to participate in that wrestling championship. The zonal committee had passed a resolution that "I had no competitor in that event." That was the stature of Jadhav's exploits. It's not conclusive whether that resolution was passed before or after Jadhav won the historic A book in Hindi, titled 'Olympic Veer Khashaba Jadhav' and authored by Sanjay Dudhane, mentions the story. The Maharaja of Patiala, who also headed the Indian Olympic Association...

His name might not have the same lustre or renown now, but for a generation gone by Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was a star they adored and wanted to emulate. KD Jadhav would go on to become the first Indian to win an Olympic medal. But his journey to the Olympic podium was anything but easy. The tale has it that when a lean and short Khashaba Jadhav approached the sports teacher at the Raja Ram College in Kolhapur, Maharashtra to be listed for the wrestling event at the annual sports meet, he was shunned away without a second thought. But that was not to stop the 23-year-old KD Jadhav. He would walk up to the college principal demanding to be listed for the event, something that the latter would give into. It was the only opportunity that the determined youngster would need to prove himself. Bout after bout, KD Jadhav would beat opponents who were much stronger and experienced than him to win that event. It was an incident that would go on to define Khashaba Jadhav, a gritty man who simply refused to bow down to the taunts and obstacles that were thrown his way. KD Jadhav: Driven by technique In the middle of the previous century, Maharashtra boasted of a rich wrestling heritage. Grapplers like Maruti Mane, Ganpatrao Andalkar and Dadu Chowgule were renowned nationwide. Though he never reached that level of fame, Khashaba Jadhav was a prominent wrestler from a small village of Goleshwar and the passion he had trickled down to his five sons. However, his youngest seemed the mo...