Palwinder Singh Cheema (born 11 November 1982 in

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

) is a retired amateur Indian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's super heavyweight category. Considered one of India's top wrestlers in his decade, Cheema has claimed the gold medal at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

Manchester, England Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, scored two bronze in the 120-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 ...

(2002 and 2006), 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), ...

. Throughout his sporting career, Cheema trained full-time for NIS Patiala Wrestling Club under his coach and father Sukhchain Singh Cheema. Cheema reached sporting headlines at the

, where he grappled his way over Canada's Eric Kirschner to fetch the gold medal in the 120-kg division on technical superiority. Following his immediate sporting success, Cheema went on to pick up a bronze at the

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 ...

, and silver at 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 ...

in his native

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

by the following year. 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 ...

, Cheema qualified for his first Indian squad, as a 21-year-old, in the men's 120 kg class. Earlier in the process, he placed second at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in

Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, and guaranteed a spot on the Indian wrestling team by winning his second silver from the

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 ...

. He lost two straight matches each to eventual Olympic champion

Artur Taymazov Artur Taymazov ( os, Таймазты Барисы фырт Артур; russian: Артур Борисович Таймазов; born 20 July 1979) is an Ossetian- Uzbek-Russian wrestler and politician. He was Uzbekistan's most decorated Olympi ...

of Uzbekistan on technical superiority, and four-time Olympian

Marek Garmulewicz Marek Garmulewicz (born 22 January 1968 in Mozgawa) is a Polish former wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics, in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII O ...

of Poland (4–6), leaving him on the bottom of the prelim pool and placing fifteenth in the final standings. At the

2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

Doha, Qatar Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

, Cheema campaigned for his bronze medal defense over fancied Kazakh wrestler

Marid Mutalimov Marid Mutalimov (; born 22 February 1980 in Makhachkala, Dagestan) is a Kazakhstan wrestler of Kumyk ethnicity, who has won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad ...

in the 120-kg division. In 2007, Cheema bid his early retirement from wrestling at the age of 24, capping off his career with a remarkable tally of seven medals (one gold, four silver, and two bronze).Also holds RUSTAM-E-HIND title.

References

External links

* 1982 births Living people Olympic wrestlers for India Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 2002 Asian Games Wrestlers at the 2006 Asian Games Wrestlers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Asian Games medalists in wrestling Sportspeople from Patiala Indian male sport wrestlers Asian Games bronze medalists for India Sport wrestlers from Punjab, India Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Recipients of the Arjuna Award Asian Wrestling Championships medalists Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games {{India-wrestling-bio-stub