Palwinder Singh Cheema

Palwinder Singh Cheema

Personal information
Full name	Palwinder Singh Cheema
Nationality	India
Born	11 November 1982 Patiala, Punjab, India
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	120 kg (265 lb)
Sport
Sport	Wrestling
Style	Freestyle
Club	NIS Patiala
Coach	Sukhchain Cheema
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  India Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester 120 kg Asian Games 2002 Busan 120 kg 2006 Doha 120 kg Asian Championships 2003 Delhi 120 kg 2004 Tehran 120 kg 2005 Wuhan 120 kg 2007 Bishkek 120 kg

Palwinder Singh Cheema (born November 11, 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. "Palwinder Singh Cheema". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
2. Singh, Jangveer (15 November 2003). "Two Rustam-e-Hind in a family". Chandigarh: The Tribune. 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. 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. 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.

External links

• Profile – International Wrestling Database