Raghav Jamwal won the gold in the 14th National Grappling Federation of India (GFI) event conducted in Kopergaon, Shirdi, Maharashtra. Hailing from the small hamlet of Kotla, Bari Tehsil in Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Jamwal would represent the state as captain in the 66 kgs category.
GFI, associated with United World Wrestling (UWW), serves as the national body for grappling in the country. Grappling, in terms of combat sports, refers to a mixture of various martial arts which aim to seize, throw, or often submit one’s opponent on the ground. Employing techniques from wrestling, judo, and jiu jitsu, the sport has seen a steady rise in the country.
“I was in complete awe when I first tried jiu jitsu, it’s a very technical game”, says Jamwal over telephone. Training under head coach and owner, Siddhartha Singh of Crosstrain for the last three years, Mr. Jamwal would learn the moves of the Brazilian martial art. “Naturally, practicing jiu jitsu later sparked my interest in mankind’s oldest sport, wrestling”, states Jamwal.
“Fighting is like a baptizing experience,
“Fighting is like a baptizing experience, one feels humbled”, he states. Quitting his job over a year ago, he admits that “he was somewhat at a crossroads”. “I decided to give myself a year and completely dedicated myself to training. I would mark days and even visit the facility at times just to observe practice”, he quotes, while referring to a self-made calendar. The gold would make its way within the year itself.
The event would see thirty-two elite grapplers from various parts of the country fight for the gold. On a dominating streak, Jamwal won the medal in overtime with points. A round in grappling spans around five minutes, with overtime of a minute provided if no submissions are achieved.
As the winner, Mr Jamwal would be representing India in the upcoming 2022 Asian Championships and world championships. “I am extremely excited about my future, I can only imagine what two or even three years of training will bring”, he says.