K. D. Jadhav
Sports & Athletics • Historical Archive • 🇮🇳 India • 0 views

K. D. Jadhav 🇮🇳

खाशाबा दादासाहेब जाधव
["Freestyle Wrestler", "Olympic Medalist", "Police Officer"]
Born Jan 15, 1926 🇮🇳 Goleshwar, India
Passed Away Aug 14, 1984 Karad, India
Lifespan 58 years old
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"My medal was won with the soil and sweat of my village folk who believed in me."

Archival Overview

Freestyle wrestler who made history at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games by winning independent India's first individual Olympic medal.

Biographical Record

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was born in rural Maharashtra into a traditional wrestling (kushti) family. Despite his modest stature, his extraordinary agility, relentless footwork, and tactical mastery of the dhobi-pachhad throw made him an undefeated champion across Indian wrestling pits.

Crowdfunded by his college principal and village neighbors who mortgaged their lands to send him to Finland, Jadhav competed in the bantamweight freestyle category at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, capturing a historic bronze medal that ignited modern Indian individual sports.

Key Life Milestones

London Olympics

Sixth-Place Olympic Debut

Finished sixth in flyweight freestyle at the 1948 London Games, adjusting to international mat rules.

Helsinki Bronze

Historic Olympic Medal

Won bronze in Helsinki, becoming independent India's first-ever individual Olympic medalist.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
KD Jadhav Wrestling Stadium
New Delhi, India
GPS: 28.6314, 77.2411
View on Memory Atlas
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