Sujeet Maan ( hi, सुजीत मान; born 15 December 1978 in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

) is a retired amateur Indian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category. He achieved top six finishes in the 74-kg division at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

(1998 and 2002), produced a stark tally of four medals (one silver and three bronze) at the

Asian Wrestling Championships Asian Wrestling Championships is the Wrestling Asian Championship organized by the Asian Associated Wrestling Committee (AAWC). The men's tournament began in 1979 and The women's tournament was first staged in 1996, and it has been held every year. ...

, and also represented his nation

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 ...

at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. Before his sporting career ended in 2006, Maan trained full-time for Guru Hanuman Wrestling Club in his native

, under his coach and mentor Maha Singhrao. Maan made his senior sporting debut at the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population ...

, where he placed fourth in the men's welterweight class (69 kg), losing out to Japan's Ryusaburo Katsu by a tough 2–3 verdict. Determined to return to the sporting scene, Maan continued to blossom his wrestling career by collecting three bronze medals in the same class at the

since 1999, until he delivered his stellar performance with a silver in 2004. He also entered the

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 � ...

Busan, South Korea Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

as one of the heavy medal favorites in the middleweight category, but left empty-handed with a sixth-place finish. He won a gold medal at the 2003 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships help in

London, Ontario, Canada London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Tham ...

. He was awarded the Best Wrestler Award at the 2003 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships for outscoring all his opponents 10-0. At the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Maan qualified for his first Indian squad in the men's 74 kg class. Earlier in the process, he clinched the eighth spot at the

2003 World Wrestling Championships The following is the final results of the 2003 World Wrestling Championships. The Freestyle Competition was held in New York City, United States, while the Greco-Roman Competition was held in Créteil, France. Medal table Team ranking Medal su ...

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, and then confirmed his berth on the Indian team by placing second from the

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asian ...

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...

. At the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

he lost two straight matches each to Japan's

Kunihiko Obata is a retired amateur Japanese freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category. He achieved top eight finishes in the 74-kg division at the Asian Games (2002 and 2006), scored two bronze medals at the 2001 and 2004 Asian Wre ...

(8–0) and Cuba's Iván Fundora (6–0) by an identical margin, leaving him on the bottom of the prelim pool and placing eighteenth in the final standings. He played his last competition at

2006 World Wrestling Championships The 2006 World Wrestling Championships were held at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China. The event took place from September 25 to October 1, 2006. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Women's fre ...

at 84 kg, where he lost his first bout, placing 21st in the competition. He is currently the personal coach of Tokyo Olympics Bronze medallist

Bajrang Punia Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a wide 8-0 margin. Punia ...

References

External links

* 1978 births Living people Olympic wrestlers for India Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1998 Asian Games Wrestlers at the 2002 Asian Games Sport wrestlers from Delhi Indian male sport wrestlers Asian Games competitors for India Recipients of the Arjuna Award Asian Wrestling Championships medalists 21st-century Indian people 20th-century Indian people Recipients of the Dronacharya Award {{India-wrestling-bio-stub