Google Doodle today: Who was KD Jhadav? First post-independence athlete to win individual medal in Olympics

Today's Google Doodle pays homage to Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, on his 97th birth anniversary. Jhadav is an Indian athlete to win the first individual medal in the Olympics post-independence. KD Jhadav was born on January 15, 1926. Best known for wrestling, KD Jhadav won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. 

Today on his birth anniversary, let us know more about the great athlete:

1. KD Jhadav was born in a village called Goleshwar, Maharashtra. He was the youngest of five sons of a renowned wrestler Dadasaheb Jadhav.
2. After shining as a swimmer and runner, Jadhav started his training as a wrestler with his father when he was only 10 year-old. 
3. Jhadav's speciality was 'dhak', a wrestling move where he held his opponent in a headlock before throwing him to the ground. 
4. In his first Olympics, he was pitted against the best and most experienced flyweight wrestler at that time and despite being new to the international format, KD Jhadav secured 6th place which was the highest position till then for India. 
5. He is the only Indian Olympic medalist who never received a Padma Award. 
6. Khashaba was extremely nimble on his feet, which made him different from other wrestlers of his time.
7. He was aiming for the gold after winning a bronze medal for India but before the Olympics, he injured his knee, which ended his career as a wrestler. 
8. He served as a police officer in the later part of his life.  
9. Jhadav was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2000 for his contribution to wrestling, after he passed away on August 14, 1984. 

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