For his opponents, he is a tough nut to crack but for his family, wrestler Sushil Kumar is a humble, down-to-earth and caring person. Sushil, the first Indian to win back-to-back individual Olympic medals, is a complete family person and owes his success to them.
“We live in a joint family with my parents, two brothers, my wife, sister-in-law and my nephew. I am blessed to have such a loving and supportive family. My parents always encouraged me to take wrestling as a career. My brothers helped me in every possible way and even after marriage, I am able to strike a balance between my personal and professional life because of my wife’s support,” said the 30-year-old world champion.
Sushil was born in Baprola, a village near Delhi. His father Diwan Singh was a DTC bus driver and mother Kamla Devi a housewife. He was inspired to take up wrestling by his cousin Sandeep and his father, who was himself a wrestler.
Asked whom he was closest to in the family, Sushil reveals, “It’s difficult to name one person as everyone is equally important to me.”
Sushil confesses that his wife Saavi, to whom he got married in February 2011, is his lady luck. She has accompanied him to the 2012 London Olympics, where he took the silver.
“Life has not chang much after marriage as I have got a very understanding wife... But yes, I have become more responsible. Saavi knows me well. I would like to give all the credit to her for making everything easy. She takes care of the home and I can focus on training. Though she has come from a very different background, she has adjusted so well. She is very loving and caring and has kept the family together,” added the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Saavi, who is also Sushil’s mentor Satpal’s daughter, was all praise for her husband.
“Ours is an arranged marriage so we obviously met through our families. It feels great to be his wife. I am proud of his achievements and whatever he has done for the country. He is a very loving and caring husband and always tries to take out time for his family and me. According to me, he is the best husband anyone can ask for,” she gushes.
“His simplicity is the best thing. Though he has achieved so much in life, he is very grounded. He has not let success get to him,” she added.
For a wrestler, a high calorie diet is a necessity and Sushil is no different. When out of India, he craves for home-cooked food. “I do miss India whenever I am out travelling on training, especially my family and ghar ka khana. But you have to sacrifice certain things to achieve something, especially when you are doing it for your country,” he said.
He endorses brands such as Mountain Dew, Eicher tractors and National Egg Coordination Committee which earns him Rs 10 million annually but to follow fashion is not his cup of tea. “I love to be myself. I am not much of a shopping person but I like to go Connaught Place in Delhi to shop.”
Get to know your star
- Sporting heroes: Sachin Tendulkar
- Your mentor: My guru Padamshree Satpal
- Favourite actors: Salman Khan
- Any superstition? No. I don't believe in superstitions. I believe in working hard.
- Sports that excite him: Football.
- Your hobbies: I like watching TV, playing football, spending time with my family.
