Palwinder Singh Cheema
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IndiaPatiala, Punjab, India
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| 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
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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.
