Lila Ram
Lila Ram Sangwan was an Indian wrestler from Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana, who was the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight category in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Lila Ram competed in the freestyle wrestling in heavyweight and superheavyweight categories at the national as well as international level.
Early life
Lila Ram was on 30 November 1930, in Mandola village of Charkhi Dadri district in a farmer’s family.Career
In 1948, he joined the Grenadiers Regimental Centre, which was located at Nasirabad at that time, where his career in wrestling began. He reigned as the national heavyweight champion in the late 50s and early 60s.Lila Ram was the captain of the wrestling team, which participated in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. In 1958, he won a gold medal in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, defeating Jacobus Hanekom of South Africa in the finals. In this event, he defeated wrestlers from Canada, Pakistan and England in the earlier rounds of the event. In 1956, during the Indo-Iran Tests, he defeated Rustam-e-Iran Mohammed Ali.