Hamida Banu: India is filled with exceptional athletes and personalities. Our history is so rich and goes back 100 years prior and not everyone can keep track of it. Some so many athletes changed the world, but people know very less about them.
One such personality is Hamida Banu, the first Indian female wrestler to compete at the International level. Her intensity and gritty nature allowed her to move forward in a male-dominated sport at that time.
She competed in the Berlin Olympics in 1936 but did not get the recognition she deserved till 1954. In 1954, she defeated one of the most famous Indian wrestlers, Baba Pahalwan in just 1 minute and 34 seconds. Following the loss, Baba Pahalwan retired from professional wrestling.
Who Is Hamida Banu?
Hamida Banu was born into a family of wrestlers in the early 1920s in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. She grew up practicing the art of wrestling and registered almost 300 competition victories throughout her career.
Her career spanned almost two decades and she got the nickname of ‘Amazon Of Aligarh.’ In an era where women’s participation in athletics was discouraged, Hamida Banu fought against everyone and won many accolades.
She used to challenge male wrestlers openly and even won against them. That is not all, she has several international titles to her name and her most famous victory came against Russian wrestler, Vera Chistilin.
Google Doodle Pays Tribute
Google Doodle on May 4, featured a drawn picture of Banu, and the description read “Hamida Banu was a trailblazer of her time, and her fearlessness is remembered throughout India and across the world. Outside of her sporting accomplishments, she will always be celebrated for staying true to herself.”
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