EdmundWyrick821 at 08:45, 14 December 2025

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{{short description|Indian professional wrestler and coach}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| headercolor =
| native_name = कृपाचंद पटेल बिश्नोई
| name = Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi
| image =
| image_size =
| caption = Commonwealth Games
| native_name_lang = hi
| birth_name =
| fullname = Kripa Shankar Patel
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1977|8|5}}
| birth_place = Indore City, [[Indore district]], Madhya Pradesh, India
| nationality = {{flag|india}}
| height = {{convert|165|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} (2017)<ref name="sm1">{{cite web|title=Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi profile – 2017|url=https://www.dangal2017.com/en/athlete/Kripa_Shankar_Patel_Bishnoi|website=dangal2016.com|accessdate=18 August 2017}}{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
| weight = {{convert|55|kg}} (2010)<ref name="sm1"/>
| website =
| country = India
| event = [[Freestyle wrestling|55 kg freestyle]]
| club = Master Chandgiram Akhara, Delhi
| team = Indian Wrestling Team
| turnedpro =
| coach = Master Chandgi Ram ji & Shivram Patel
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{Flagu|India}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Freestyle Wrestling]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria CANADA (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1994 Commonwealth Games – Men's freestyle 52 kg|52 kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Wrestling Championships|Asian Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2003 Asian Wrestling Championships|2003 New Delhi (FS)]]|55 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Wrestling Championship|Commonwealth Championship]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2003 Commonwealth Championships|2003 Ontario CANADA (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2003 Commonwealth Championships – Men's freestyle 55 kg|55 kg]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2005 Commonwealth Championships|2005 Cape Town (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2005 Commonwealth Championships – Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg|55 kg]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2005 Commonwealth Championships|2005 Cape Town (GR)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2005 Commonwealth Championships – Men's freestyle 55 kg|55 kg]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2007 Commonwealth Championships|2007 Ontario CANADA (FR)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships – Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg|55 kg]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2007 Commonwealth Championships|2007 Ontario CANADA (GR)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships – Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg|55 kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Cadet Championships}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1990 World Cadet Championships|1990 Szombathely, HONGRIE (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1990 World Cadet Championships – Men's freestyle 47 kg|47 kg]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1991 World Cadet Championships|1991 Alma, CANADA (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1990 World Cadet Championships – Men's freestyle 51 kg|51 kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | Asian Cadet Championships}}
{{MedalGold| [[1989 Asian Cadet Championships|1989 New Delhi, INDIA (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1989 Asian Cadet Championships – Men's freestyle 43 kg|43 kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | South Asian Games}}
{{MedalGold| [[1995 7th South Asian Games|1995 Madras, INDIA (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1995 7th South Asian Games – Men's freestyle 52 kg|52 kg]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1999 8th South Asian Games|1999 Kathmandu, NEPAL (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 1999 8th South Asian Games – Men's freestyle 54 kg|54 kg]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2004 9th South Asian Games|2004 Islamabad, PAKISTAN (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2004 9th South Asian Games – Men's freestyle 54 kg|54 kg]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2010 11th South Asian Games|2010 Dhaka, BANGLADESH (FS)]]| [[Wrestling at the 2010 11th South Asian Games – Men's freestyle 60 kg|60 kg]]}}
| show-medals =
}}

'''Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi''' (born 5 August 1977) is an Indian professional [[wrestler]] and coach.

==Biography==
Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi was born on 5 August 1977, in [[Khandwa]] (district of [[Harsud]] tehsil in Madhya Pradesh). He completed a diploma course in sports coaching at the [[National Institute of Sports|Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (India)]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/madhya-pradesh/film-dangal-wrestling-trainer-teaching-maneuver-to-children-in-khandwa-982735.html |title=Dangal wrestling trainer teaching to children |author= |date=3 May 2017 |website=News18.com }}</ref> He passed the [[United World Wrestling]] International Referee Course with distinction in 2016. Subsequently, Bishnoi was named to United World Wrestling's international panel of referees.<ref name="referee">{{Cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/sports/dangal-coach-kripa-shankar-bishnoi-becomes-international-match-referee-1355002.html|title='Dangal' Coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi Becomes International match Referee|work=News18|access-date=8 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Interview with wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi – the man who has been training Aamir in wrestling |url=http://www.patrika.com/news/khandwa/interview-with-wrestler-kripa-shankar-patel-bishnoi-is-the-man-who-has-been-training-aamir-in-wrestling-1522196/ |work= patrika.com|year=2016 }}</ref>

==Wrestling career==
He has participated in 53 international wrestling competitions, winning 11 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze medals.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

Mr. Patel represented India in Asian cadet wrestling competition held from 3 to 5 December 1989 and by beating the Iranian wrestler K.D. Mohammad with a great score of 8/1 established his first step in international wrestling scenario and then always remained glittering in the whole world representing India. Bishnoi passed the Level-1 coaching course organised under the aegis of Wrestling Federation of India and United World Wrestling (UWW) in the year 2024. He has also rejoined the coaching panel of Wrestling Federation of India.

===Commonwealth Games===
Competing in the [[Flyweight]] division, Bishnoi was a [[bronze medal]]ist at the [[1994 Commonwealth Games#Wrestling|15th edition]] of the [[Commonwealth Games]].

===Commonwealth Wrestling Championship Events===
Bishnoi competed in [[Commonwealth Wrestling Championship]] tournaments, achieving medals in multiple disciplines. He is the only wrestler who made a world record of winning 2 golds in 1 competition but in different categories ([[freestyle wrestling]] and [[Greco-Roman wrestling]]).{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
2003 (London, Canada)
:Silver medal –
2005 (Cape Town, South Africa)
:Gold medal – under 55 weight category, Freestyle wrestling
:Gold medal – under 55 weight category, Greco-Roman wrestling
2007 (London, Canada)
:Gold medal – Freestyle wrestling
:Silver medal – [[Greco-Roman wrestling]]<ref name="change">{{cite web |url=http://punjabnewsexpress.com/sports/news/kripa-shankar-for-change-in-greco-roman-wrestling-rules-60333.aspx |archive-date=2017-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805220322/http://punjabnewsexpress.com/sports/news/kripa-shankar-for-change-in-greco-roman-wrestling-rules-60333.aspx |title=Kripa Shankar for change in Greco Roman wrestling rules |author= |date=12 May 2017 |website=Punjabi News Express }}</ref>

===Olympic Qualifying Events===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=January 2018}}
Bishnoi represented India four times in Olympic qualifying tournaments: 2000, Leipzig, Germany, 5th place; 2000, Tokyo, Japan, 10th place; 2000, Minsk, Belarus; 2008, Warsaw, Poland. He also competed at World Cup events in Canada, winning gold in 2003 and 2007. In Canada World Cup Mr. Patel competed with all wrestlers and proved to be a perfectionist in his sport by winning a gold in Canada World Cup (11 to 12 July 2003, Canada).

===Asian Competitions===
Bishnoi competed in the [[1998 Asian Games]] (Bangkok, Thailand) and [[2002 Asian Games]] (Bussan, South Korea),{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} and in the [[Asian Wrestling Championships]], placing 4th in [[2000 Asian Wrestling Championships|2000]] (Gulin, China), 4th in [[2001 Asian Wrestling Championships|2001]] (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), and earning a bronze medal in 2003 Asian Wrestling Championships (New Delhi, India).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/indian-wrestler-kripa-shanker-holds-syrian-wrestler-firos-news-photo/2085016#indian-wrestler-kripa-shanker-holds-syrian-wrestler-firos-refael-picture-id2085016 |title= Indian Wrestler Kripa Shanker holds|author= |date=5 June 2003 |website=gettyimages.co.uk }}</ref> Bishnoi won gold medals at the [[1995 South Asian Games|7th]], [[1999 South Asian Games|8th]], and [[2004 South Asian Games|9th]] editions of the [[South Asian Games]].{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

===Awards===
In 2000, Bishnoi received the ''[[Arjuna Award]]'' in recognition of outstanding National (India) achievement in sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/LIST%20OF%20ARJUNA%20AWARDEES.docx%2061%20-%2017_0_0.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031163329/https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/LIST%20OF%20ARJUNA%20AWARDEES.docx%2061%20-%2017_0_0.pdf |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |title=List of Arjuna Awardees |work=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |access-date=March 3, 2023}}</ref> In 1994 he was a recipient of the ''Vikram Award''.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

===Coaching===
After retiring from wrestling competition, Bishnoi served as coach for Indian female wrestlers at the senior national coaching camp, contributing to a 2016 bronze medal in women's wrestling in [[2016 Summer Olympics]] for India.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} Bishnoi is also a referee.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title='Dangal coach' becomes international match referee |url= http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/dangal-coach-becomes-international-match-referee-kripa-shankar-patel-bishnoi-wrestler-4549852/|work=The Indian Express |date=1 March 2017 }}</ref>

==Bollywood career==

Bishnoi was recruited to train [[Aamir Khan]], Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, and supporting actors for the [[Bollywood]] movie ''[[Dangal (2016 film)|Dangal]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sinha |first=Saloni |date=23 December 2016 |title=The muscle behind Dangal: Kripa Shankar Bishnoi |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2016/dec/23/the-muscle-behind-dangal-kripa-shankar-bishnoi-1552319.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224131841/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2016/dec/23/the-muscle-behind-dangal-kripa-shankar-bishnoi-1552319.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2016 |work= The New Indian Express}}</ref> The film is based on the life of renowned Indian wrestler [[Mahavir Singh Phogat]], who coached his daughters, [[Geeta Phogat]] and [[Babita Kumari]] to gold medals at the [[2010 Commonwealth Games]]. Working with the actors for over six months prior to filming, Bishnoi focused on wrestling moves and general conditioning.<ref>{{cite news |author= |date=6 January 2017 |title=Nine Times 'Sports Heroes' Trained Bollywood Actors for the Big Screen |url=https://www.mid-day.com/articles/nine-sports-heroes-train-bollywood-actors-big-screen-dangal-sultan-ms-dhoni-sports-news/17495161 |work=mid-day.com }}</ref> The film was 2017's highest-grossing sports film worldwide.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cain|first=Rob|title=How An Indian Drama Became The World's Highest-Grossing Sports Movie of 2017|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/19/how-an-indian-drama-became-the-worlds-highest-grossing-sports-movie-of-2017/|work=[[Forbes]]|date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title=MP: Arjun awardee wrestler trains Aamir Khan for Dangal |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/indore/mp-arjun-awardee-wrestler-trains-aamir-khan-for-dangal/story-1ddMNn6hWTd6DHP6O9ijgN.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=11 July 2016 }}</ref> Following the film's release, Bishnoi defended Khan against allegations that the actor has used steroids during his physical training regime.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Claims that Aamir Khan used steroids are nonsense: Dangal wrestling coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/aamir-khan-trainer-kripa-shankar-bishnoi-slams-steroid-rumours-4416936/ |work=The Indian Express |date=8 December 2016 |access-date= 20 January 2018}}</ref>

==Controversy==
In 2017, the Wrestling Federation of India imposed a six-year ban on Bishnoi, following Bishnoi's criticism of the organization.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hussein |first=Sabi |date=14 September 2017 |title=Coach equates WFI with a mule, faces ban |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sport/coach-equates-wfi-with-a-mule-faces-ban/466942.html |work=The Tribune |location=New Delhi |access-date=20 January 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Bishnoi has become an advocate and vocal proponent of changes he has proposed for regulations governed by the (Indian) National and International wrestling federations.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Kripa Shankar for change in Greco Roman wrestling rules |url= https://sportswire4u.blogspot.in/2017/05/kripa-shankar-for-change-in-greco-roman.html|date= 11 May 2017|access-date=20 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chacko |first=Saji |date=27 May 2017 |title=Coach Kripa has valid suggestions |url=http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/sports/9544-coach-kripa-has-valid-suggestions |work=Sunday Guardian Live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |date= 24 May 2017|title=Former India wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi suggests key changes to world body |url=https://zeenews.india.com/other-sports/former-india-wrestler-kripa-shankar-bishnoi-suggests-key-changes-to-world-body-2008580.html?pfrom=article-next-story |work=Zee News }}</ref><ref name="change" />

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Kripa Shankar}}
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male sport wrestlers]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1998 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for India]]
[[Category:South Asian Games silver medalists for India]]
[[Category:Asian Games wrestlers for India]]
[[Category:South Asian Games medalists in wrestling]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in wrestling]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India]]
[[Category:Asian Wrestling Championships medalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]

Kripa Shankar Patel - Revision history

EdmundWyrick821 at 08:45, 14 December 2025