>Johnpacklambert at 20:47, 29 June 2021

2021-06-29T20:47:26Z

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{{short description|Indian wrestler}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| headercolor = #FFD400
| name = Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
| image =
| image_size = 220
| caption =
| fullname = Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jh/khashaba-jhadav-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426011949/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jh/khashaba-jhadav-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2018|title=Khashaba Jhadav Bio, Stats, and Results|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
| nickname = Pocket Dynamo<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/Khashaba-Dadasaheb-Jadhav-A-forgotten-hero/article14504834.ece|title=Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav: A forgotten hero|first=Rayan|last=Rozario|date=23 July 2016|access-date=3 March 2019|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref><br>KD
| nationality = {{flagicon|IND}}
| ethnicity =
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|01|15|df=yes}}<ref name="google.co.in">{{cite web|url=https://translate.google.co.in/translate?hl=en&sl=hi&u=http://www.hindiremedy.com/kd-jadhav/&prev=search|title=Google Translate|website=translate.google.co.in|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
| birth_place = Goleshwar ([[Satara district]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British India]])
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1984|08|14|1926|1|15}}<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/sports/rio-2016-olympics/a-small-man-in-a-big-world-forgotten-story-of-khashaba-jadhav-2945343/|title=Khashaba Jadhav: Forgotten story of India’s first individual Olympic medallist|date=31 July 2016|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Karad]], Maharashtra, India
| height = {{convert|1.67|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|54|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| website =
| country = India
| sport = [[Wrestling]]
| event = [[Freestyle wrestling|Freestyle]]
| collegeteam =
| club =
| team =
| turnedpro =
| rank =
| coach = Rees Gardner
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [[Freestyle wrestling]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{IND}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalBronze|[[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Helsinki]]|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight|Bantamweight]]}}
}}

'''Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav''' (January 15, 1926 – August 14, 1984) was an [[India]]n [[Athlete (sports)|athlete]]. He is best known as a [[wrestler]] who won a [[bronze medal]] at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] in [[Helsinki]]. He was the first athlete from independent [[India]] to win an individual medal in the [[Olympics]]<ref name="yas">India Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (YAS), "Proud Moments of Indian Sports," [http://yas.nic.in/writereaddata/linkimages/7571036614.pdf "Olympics Bronze Medal, Helsinki 1952"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}; excerpt, "The victory procession at the Karad railway station was a see-it-to-believe scene. "There were ''[[dhols]]'' along with a 151 bullock cart procession right
from the outskirts of Goleshwar to the Mahadeva temple which is normally a 15 minute walk. It took seven long hours that day ..."; retrieved 2012-7-20.</ref>

After [[Norman Pritchard]] who won two silver medals in athletics in 1900 under colonial India, Khashaba was the first individual athlete from independent India to win a medal at the Olympics.<ref name="rediff.com">Shariff, Faisal.[http://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/sep/13jhadha.htm "Khashba Jhadhav, the hero we owe an apology to ...,"] Rediff.com; retrieved 2012-7-20.</ref> In the years before Khashaba, India would only win gold medals in field hockey, a team sport. He is the only Indian Olympic medalist who never received a Padma Award. Khashaba was extremely nimble on his feet, which made him different from other wrestlers of his time. English coach Rees Gardner saw this trait in him and trained him prior to the 1948 Olympic games.

== Childhood ==
Born in a village called Goleshwar in Karad taluka of District [[Satara district|Satara]] in [[Maharashtra]] State, KD Jadhav was the youngest of five sons of a renowned wrestler Dadasaheb Jadhav. He did his schooling in Tilak High School in [[Karad]] district between 1940–1947. He grew up in a household that lived and breathed wrestling.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://firststeptowardschange.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/who-is-the-first-olympic-medalist-in-india-he-is-unknown-to-many/|title=Who is the first olympic medalist in India ?? He is unknown to many…….|last=Padmabandaru|date=2 July 2015|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> He participated in the [[Quit India Movement]] providing shelter and a hiding place to the revolutionaries, circulating letters against the British were some of his contributions to the movement.<ref name="auto"/> He resolved to unfurl the tricolor flag in Olympics on Independence Day August 15, 1947.

== Wrestling career ==
His father Dadasaheb was a wrestling coach and he initiated Khashaba into wrestling at the age of five. His wrestling mentors in college were Baburao Balawde and Belapuri Guruji.

==1948 Summer Olympics==
Jadhav's first feel of the big stage was at the [[1948 London Olympics]]; his journey was funded by the [[Shahaji II|Maharaja of Kolhapur]].<ref name="indiatimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/olympic-day-2017-kd-jadhav-a-forgotten-indian-hero/articleshow/59280726.cms|title=Olympic Day 2017: KD Jadhav, a forgotten Indian hero - Times of India|website=The Times India|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> During his stay in London, he was trained by Rees Gardner, a former lightweight World champion from the United States. It was Gardner's guidance that saw Jadhav finish sixth in the flyweight section, despite being unfamiliar with wrestling on the mat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mensxp.com/special-features/today/30965-the-story-of-kd-jadhav-a-k-a-pocket-dynamo-who-won-india-s-first-individual-olympic-medal.html|title=The Story Of KD Jadhav A.K.A 'Pocket Dynamo' Who Won India's First Individual Olympic Medal|website=www.mensxp.com|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> He stunned the audience by defeating the Australian wrestler [[Bert Harris (wrestler)|Bert Harris]] in the first few minutes of the bout.<ref name="auto"/> He went on to defeat [[Billy Jernigan]] of the US, but lost to [[Mansour Raeisi]] of Iran, to be eliminated from the Games.

{{s-start}}
! Res.
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! Notes
|-
|{{yes2}}Win
|align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bert Harris (wrestler)|Bert Harris]]
|style="font-size:88%"|3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|29 July
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Summer Olympics Men's Flyweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[London]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 2T

|-
|{{yes2}}Win
|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Jernigan]]
|style="font-size:88%"|3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|30 July
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Summer Olympics Men's Flyweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[London]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 3
|-
|{{no2}}Loss
|align=left|{{flagicon|IRI}} [[Mansour Raeisi]]
|style="font-size:88%"|Tech. Fall; 5:31
|style="font-size:88%"|30 July
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Summer Olympics Men's Flyweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[London]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 6 (Eliminated)
|-
{{end}}

=== Aftermath ===
For the next four years, Jadhav trained even harder for the [[Helsinki Olympics]] where he moved up in weight and participated in the 125 lb bantamweight category which saw wrestlers from twenty-four countries, he increased the tempo of his preparation for the next Olympics in Helsinki.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/wrestling/the-forgotten-heroes-of-indian-sports-kd-jadhav|title=The forgotten hero of Indian sports - KD Jadhav and his triumph over adversities|date=22 July 2012|website=www.sportskeeda.com|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>

==1952 Summer Olympics==
After the marathon bout, he was asked to fight Soviet Union's Rashid Mammadbeyov. As per the rules a rest of at least 30 minutes were required between bouts, but no Indian official was available to press his case, a tired Jadhav, failed to inspire and Mammadbeyov cashed in on the chance to reach the final. Defeating the wrestlers from Canada, Mexico and Germany, he won bronze medal on 23 July 1952 thereby creating history by becoming Independent India's first individual medal winner.<ref name="indianexpress.com"/> Khashaba's colleague, Krishnarao Mangave a wrestler, also participated in the same Olympics in another category but missed the bronze medal by just one point.

{{s-start}}
! Res.
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! Notes
|-
|{{yes2}}Win
|align=left|{{flagicon|CAN}} Adrien Poliquin
|style="font-size:88%"|Tech. Fall; 14:25
|style="font-size:88%"|1952-07-20
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 1T

|-
|{{yes2}}Win
|align=left|{{flagicon|MEX}} Leonardo Basurto
|style="font-size:88%"|Tech. Fall; 5:20
|style="font-size:88%"|1952-07-20
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 1T
|-
|{{yes2}}Win
|align=left|{{flagicon|GER}} [[Ferdinand Schmitz]]
|style="font-size:88%"|2-1
|style="font-size:88%"|1952-07-20
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 2T
|-
|{{no2}}Loss
|align=left|{{flagicon|URS}} [[Rashid Mammadbeyov]]
|style="font-size:88%"|3-0
|style="font-size:88%"|1952-07-20
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 1T
|-
|{{no2}}Loss
|align=left|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Shohachi Ishii]]
|style="font-size:88%"|3-0
|style="font-size:88%"|1952-07-20
|style="font-size:88%"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;"|Rank 3 Bronze Medal
|-
{{end}}

=== Return from the 1952 Summer Olympics ===
Although India's hockey team bagged a gold at the Helsinki games, Jadhav was the primary attraction of [[India at the 1952 Summer Olympics|India's contingent]] that returned home after the Olympics. Crowd gathered at the Karad Railway Station to welcome their hero,<ref name="google.co.in"/> a cavalcade of 151 bullock carts and dhols, carried their hero for about 10 km and passed through the village of Goleshwar.

== Later life and death ==
In 1955, he joined the police force as a sub-inspector where he won several competitions held within the Police department and also performed National duties as a sports instructor. Despite serving the police department for twenty-seven years and retiring as an Asst. Police Commissioner, Jadhav had to fight for pension later on in his life. For years, he was neglected by the sports federation and had to live the final stages of his life in poverty. He died in a road accident in 1984, his wife struggled to get any assistance from any quarter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thelallantop.com/bherant/story-of-khashaba-dadasaheb-jadhav-who-won-the-first-individual-medal-at-olympics-in-1952/|title=ओलंपिक में देश के लिए पहला मेडल लाने वाले पहलवान को घर गिरवी रखना पड़ा था|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>

== Awards and honours ==

* He was honoured by making him a part of the torch run at the [[1982 Asian Games]] in Delhi
* The Maharashtra Government awarded the Chhatrapati Puraskar posthumously in 1992-1993.<ref name="auto"/>
* He was posthumously honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2001.<ref name="indiatimes.com"/>
* The newly built wrestling venue for the [[2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games|2010 Delhi Common Wealth Games]] was named after him to honour his achievement.<ref>[http://thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article502856.ece "CWG wrestling venue re-christened as K. D. Jhadav Stadium,"] ''The Hindu'' (India). July 6, 2010; retrieved 2012-7-20.</ref>

==Legacy==

=== Book ===
Olympic veer K D Jadhav by Sanjay Dudhane, National Book Trust.<ref>https://www.amazon.in/OLYMPIC-VEER-JADHAV-sanjay-pandurang/dp/8123773374?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&U2=258-3991874-7847224&portal-device-attributes=desktop</ref>

=== Movie ===
International Wrestler and now producer [[Sangram Singh]] is all set with his plans of producing a film on Jadhav after taking the rights from his son Ranjit Jadhav. The film will be based on the life of a wrestler Khashaba Jadhav, who won independent India's first Olympic medal in 1952. Jadhav has been an idol of Sangram since his childhood and Sangram wants to give his [[Tribute|Shradhanjali]] now to his idol by making a film on him.
Confirming the news through an official statement about the sportsman, Sangram says, “He has quite a noteworthy journey and earned our country its first international medal but in time, his name and story was something that was lost. He is a hero who deserves to be remembered and honoured. We will work hard to do justice to the portrayal of his achievements.”<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sangram-singh-all-set-to-make-a-biopic-on-legendary-kd-jadhav/story-3t9fnT5LePsWfW03v4iM9L.html|title=Sangram Singh all set to make a biopic on legendary KD Jadhav|website=www.hindustantimes.com|access-date=2019-09-03}}</ref>
The script for the film is currently being worked upon.

==Related pages==
* [[Sports in India]]
* [[India at the Olympics]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jadhav, Khashaba Dadasaheb}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:Olympic wrestlers of India]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Indian male sport wrestlers]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for India]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in India]]
[[Category:People from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]
[[Category:People from Karad]]
[[Category:Marathi people]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in wrestling]]
[[Category:Marathi sportspeople]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
==External links==
{{Olympic medalists for India}}

K. D. Jadhav - Revision history

>Johnpacklambert at 20:47, 29 June 2021