Sushil Kumar: A tarnished wrestling legacy

On Sunday, the Delhi Police arrested two-time Olympic medallist and India's most decorated wrestler Sushil Kumar in a murder case. (Source: PTI)

Even though age caught up with Sushil Kumar in the second half of the decade, he dominated the first five years by becoming the first Indian to win two individual medals at the Olympics in 2012. He also gave India its first world champion in wrestling when he won the 66kg title in Moscow in 2010. The Haryana wrestler won gold in all the three editions of Commonwealth Games in this decade, besides winning gold at the Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships. (Source: File)

He was 14 when he joined the Chhatrasal Stadium’s akhara, which was started in 1988 by his former coach, now father-in-law, Satpal Singh.

In 2003, Kumar participated in the Asian Wrestling Championship held in New Delhi, and ended up as the bronze medal winner in 60kg freestyle category. In the same year he won a gold medal in the freestyle category at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, London.

In 2005, he participated in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, held in Cape Town and won the gold medal in 66kg freestyle category and bronze medal in the 66kg Greco-Roman category (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

In 2006 Doha Asian Games, he won the bronze medal in the 66kg freestyle category and in the 2007 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, held in London, he once again won the gold medal in 66kg freestyle category. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

In 2008 Beijing Olympics he bagged the bronze medal in the 66kg freestyle category.

In 2010 World Wrestling Championships held in Moscow, Sushil Kumar created history when he became the first Indian to win a world title in wrestling.

In the same year, he won the the gold medal in the 66kg freestyle category in the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. (Source: AP)

In 2012, he once again created history when he won the silver medal in the 66kg freestyle category at the London Olympics and became the first Indian to win back to back individual Olympic medals.

In 2014, Sushil Kumar won the gold medal in the 74 kg freestyle category at the Commonwealth Games that took place in Glasgow, Scotland.