Hetal Dave
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Born | 8 December 1987 |
| Sport | |
| Country | India |
| Sport | Sumo |
Hetal Dave (born 8 December 1987) is India's first and only professional female sumo wrestler.[1][2] In 2008, she made it into the Limca Book of Records.[3][4]
She participated in the 2009 World Games held in Taiwan, but went out in the first round.[5][6]
Personal life[edit]
Her father and brother were very supportive of her interests in pursuing the sport.[7] She is a commerce graduate and also trains students in wrestling and judo in different schools.[8]
Dave is a judo trainer and she started her judo lessons when she was 6.[7][9]
Training[edit]
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.[6]
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.[10]
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.[11][12]
Recognition[edit]
Despite sumo wrestling not being amongst the recognized sports in India, Dave has represented India in several competitions.[13]
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.
References[edit]
- ^ "Look, who's in the ring: Meet Hetal Dave, India's first professional woman sumo wrestler". Dnaindia.com. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Eat, pray, wrestle". Telegraphindia.com. 15 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Indian woman hopes to conquer Sumo". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ TIWARI, KHUSHBOO (30 December 2016). "I am India's first and only female sumo wrestler: Hetal Dave". www.thishour.in. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "Beauty and Brawn: Indian woman sumo wrestler at World Games". Zeenews.india.com. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Who says Sumo wrestling is confined to Japan? India's Hetal Dave is here to prove all your myths wrong". 16 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ a b "India's 1st Female Sumo Wrestler, Finds Getting To The Ring More Difficult Than Fighting In It!". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ Scroll Staff. "Watch: 'Should I wait for a biopic to be taken seriously?' says sumo wrestler Hetal Dave". Scroll.in. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ Travierso, Michele. "Peerless in the Ring: Meet India's Only Female Sumo Wrestler". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ Ganesan, Ranjita (28 November 2015). "Hetal Dave: Breaking hard ground". Business Standard India. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ VagaBomb (10 September 2015). "Hetal Dave Is India's First and Only Female Sumo Wrestler, but Not Many Know Her". VagaBomb. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "Her name is Hetal Dave, the only woman sumo wrestler in India! She's also ill-fated! – The Voice Of Nation". The Voice Of Nation. 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "Hetal Dave: Meet India's first and only professional female sumo wrestler". 9 August 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
External links[edit]
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