Pooja Dhanda
Pooja Dhanda is an Indian wrestler from Gudana village of Hisar district in Haryana, who won the silver medal in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, and 2018 Commonwealth Games. In August, 2019, she was honoured with the Arjun Award.Early life
Pooja was born in Budana village of Hisar district in Haryana. The daughter of a tractor driver with the Haryana Animal Husbandry Centre in Hisar, Dhanda started as a judo player at Mahabir Stadium but switched to wrestling in 2009.Career
As a young sportswoman, Pooja's career took off on a promising note when she won the silver medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the 60 kg category. After she debuted in the national championship in 2013, she defeated Babita Phogat in the final and has since won all four senior national championships by 2017. In the Pro Wrestling League, she has defeated World and Olympic champion Helen Maroulis of the USA twice, World Championship silver medallist and Olympic bronze medallist Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria and World Championship silver medallist Marwa Amri.
Pooja was screened and originally selected to play the role of Babita Phogat in blockbuster Dangal, which she could not play due to an injury. However, Pooja later competed against and defeated senior Phogat sister Geeta Phogat in the real-life 2018 Commonwealth Games selection trials.
She won silver medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in the women's 57 kg freestyle wrestling after losing to Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye 7-5 in the final at the Carrara Sports Arena 1.
