Hetal Dave (born 8 December 1987) is
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
's first and only professional female
sumo wrestler
A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official ...
. In 2008, she made it into the
Limca Book of Records
The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...
.
She participated in the
2009 World Games
The 2009 World Games () the eighth edition of the World Games, were an international multi-sport event held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (under the name Chinese Taipei) from 16 July 2009 to 26 July 2009. The games featured sports that are not contested i ...
held in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, but went out in the first round.
Personal life
Hetal hails from Mumbai. Her father and brother were very supportive of her interests in pursuing the sport.
She is a commerce graduate and also trains students in wrestling and judo in different schools.
Dave is a judo trainer and she started her judo lessons when she was 6.
Training
Dave has no opponents to train with in India and as such has to practice with male players alongside her brother Akshay. India does not have a sumo ring, so she had to practice in natural terrain, and she chose Oval Maidan in South Mumbai.
Her first international championship took place in Estonia in 2008. She came among the global top 8 and was included in a list of 150 fearless women by
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
.
After Estonia, Dave has represented India in tournaments at Poland, Finland and Taiwan. At the 2009 World Games, she stood fifth in the women's middleweight category.
Recognition
Despite sumo wrestling not being amongst the recognized sports in India, Dave has represented India in several competitions.
When she participated in the World Games she was the only female participant from India to represent the country and Sumo out of more than 200 games. She has represented India in competitions in Poland, Finland, Estonia, and Taiwan.
In Popular Culture
In a season of sports biopics, a biopic on Hetal Dave titled '
Sumo Didi' is being made. The film is directed by Jayant Rohatgi, and stars Shriyam Bhagnani in the title role. The film is produced by Freshlime Films and MA&TH Entertainment and presented by
Jio Studios.
References
External links
फेसबुक पन्नाबीबीसी हिंदी पर
Martial artists from Mumbai
Female sumo wrestlers
Indian female martial artists
Sportswomen from Maharashtra
Place of birth missing (living people)
1987 births
Living people
{{India-sport-bio-stub