Hetal Dave
Hetal Dave is India's first and only professional female sumo wrestler.[1][2] In 2008, the woman from Mumbai made it into the Limca Book of Records.[3][4]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Indian |
Citizenship | Indian |
Sport | |
Country | India |
Sport | sumo wrestler |
She participated in the 2009 World Games held in Taiwan, but went out in the first round.[5][6]
Personal life
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 around 6.[7][9]
Training
Dave has no opponents to train with in India so has to practice with male players and also her brother Akshay. Indian doesn't have a Sumo Ring, so she had to practice in natural terrain, and she chose Oval Maidan in South Mumbai.[6]
Cawas Billimoria was her coach and her first international championship 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
Sumo wrestling is not among the recognized sports in India, even then Dave has represented India in several competitions.[13]
References
- "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. 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.
- "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.
- "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.