Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

His name might not have a similar shine or prestige as given to athletes nowadays, however, for an age that has passed by, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was a star the masses worshipped and wanted to mirror.

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav after his bronze win at the Helsinki Games, 1952.

Born on January 15, 1926, KD Jadhav would go on to become the first Indian from independent India to win an Olympic medal and the first individual athlete to do so. His inspirational journey to the Olympic stage was anything but effortless.

💡 Jadhav was the youngest of five siblings, born to a father who was a wrestler himself.

The atmosphere of the Jadhav household was perpetually immersed in the sport - it was but obvious for young Khashaba to pursue wrestling as well, but not devoid of the initial struggle for recognition. The story has it that when a lean and short Jadhav approached the games instructor at the Raja Ram College in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, to be listed for the wrestling event at the yearly games meet, he was disregarded without the slightest hesitation. However, this mild hindrance was not to stop the daring 23-year-old Jadhav. He would approach the school principal and insist on being allowed to participate.

Certainly, he must have put up a hard fight as he was granted the permission to wrestle. It was this solitary chance that the determined youth would have to substantiate himself. Round after round, Jadhav would beat adversaries who were a lot stronger and experienced than him, to finally end up winning the competition. This was a turning point in his life that would proceed to characterize Khashaba Jadhav, a plucky man who wouldn’t bat an eye to the insults and deterrents that were tossed his direction.

Sadly, Jadhav became a forgotten star as soon as he retired from representing India internationally at wrestling tournaments. He joined the police forces where he continued to train other athletes, but he was not given due credit for his achievements. In fact, he had to battle the authorities for his timely pension, which reduced him to poverty in his final days. An unfortunate end disrespectful to his glorious past, KD Jadhav, the Pocket Dynamo of India, died in an accident in 1984.