Palwinder Singh Cheema
Personal information
Full namePalwinder Singh Cheema
Nationality India
Born (1982-11-11) 11 November 1982
Patiala, Punjab, India
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight120 kg (265 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubNIS Patiala
CoachSukhchain Cheema
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  India
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2002 Manchester120 kg
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2002 Busan120 kg
Bronze medal – third place2006 Doha120 kg
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place2003 Delhi120 kg
Silver medal – second place2004 Tehran120 kg
Bronze medal – third place2005 Wuhan120 kg
Bronze medal – third place2007 Bishkek120 kg

Palwinder Singh Cheema (born 11 November 1982 in Patiala, Punjab) is a retired amateur Indian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's super heavyweight category.[1] Considered one of India's top wrestlers in his decade, Cheema has claimed the gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, scored two bronze in the 120-kg division at the Asian Games (2002 and 2006), and also represented his nation India at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Throughout his sporting career, Cheema trained full-time for NIS Patiala Wrestling Club under his coach and father Sukhchain Singh Cheema.[2]

Cheema reached sporting headlines at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, where he grappled his way over Canada's Eric Kirschner to fetch the gold medal in the 120-kg division on technical superiority.[3][4] Following his immediate sporting success, Cheema went on to pick up a bronze at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and silver at the Asian Championships in his native Delhi by the following year.[5]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 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, and guaranteed a spot on the Indian wrestling team by winning his second silver from the Asian Championships in Tehran, Iran.[6][7] He lost two straight matches each to eventual Olympic champion Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan on technical superiority, and four-time Olympian Marek Garmulewicz of Poland (4–6), leaving him on the bottom of the prelim pool and placing fifteenth in the final standings.[8][9]

At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Cheema campaigned for his bronze medal defense over fancied Kazakh wrestler Marid Mutalimov in the 120-kg division.[10] 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

  1. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Palwinder Singh Cheema". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Singh, Jangveer (15 November 2003). "Two Rustam-e-Hind in a family". The Tribune. Chandigarh. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Ugoalah takes gold". BBC Sport. 3 August 2002. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "India end third in overall medals tally". Rediff.com. 5 August 2002. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Palwinder bags bronze". The Hindu. 8 October 2002. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Abbott, Gary (29 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Six Indian wrestlers qualify for Athens". Rediff.com. 15 February 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 120kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Ramesh Kumar wins but fails to advance". Rediff.com. 27 August 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kumar, Cheema win bronze medals". The Hindu. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2014.


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