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Inspired by Dangal, backed by dad's faith, Rutuja wins wrestling gold on KIYG debut
The Statesman Kolkata
|May 16, 2025
Rutuja Santosh Gurav was just eight when her father, a construction labourer by profession and a sports enthusiast, took her to a wrestling academy, situated nearly about two kilometres from their village Panchgaon, in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.
For the next six months, the little girl was hesitant to take up the sport, but the real inspiration came when Rutuja's father made her watch Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal—a movie based on wrestling and inspired by the lives of the Phogats.
There was no looking back ever since.
Over the past eight years, Rutuja dedicated herself completely to the sport, and so did Santosh Gurav, who stood like a shadow to her in wherever she has competed, cheering from the sidelines, even though he doesn't have much technical inputs about her sport.
His presence, always at the sidelines, has been her silent strength.
Rutuja's rise began with a gold at the Junior Nationals in 2021, a title she defended in 2022.
This story is from the May 16, 2025 edition of The Statesman Kolkata.
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