Hetal Dave: The Sumo Wrestler That Put India On The Map

Hetal Dave, India's first and only female sumo wrestler© Hetal Dave

Women are often judged by how they look before their abilities get a chance to speak. For those whose bodies fall outside conventional expectations, that scrutiny can become another barrier to overcome. Hetal Dave knows this experience well. Growing up, she faced judgements about her appearance, but refused to let other people's perceptions dictate what she could achieve. Instead, she chose a sport in which her strength could speak for itself and went on to become India's first female sumo wrestler.

"When you are a certain body, you are seen and taken that way," Dave tells NDTV. Yet she says she was comfortable with her body because she knew she was physically fit and capable.

That instinct to challenge convention began early. At five, fascinated by karate and the fight sequences in Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee films, Dave wanted to fight and, more importantly, do something different from what people expected of her.

Her first step into sport was through judo, in which she went on to represent India internationally. Sumo came later, presenting a challenge few around her understood. There was no established pathway for women in the sport in India, little infrastructure and no certainty that pursuing it would lead anywhere.

"There was such a madness in me that whatever the obstacles were, I wanted to get through," she says.

The obstacles were practical as much as social. Without a dedicated training facility or a female training partner, Dave practised with her younger brother at Mumbai's Oval Maidan. Her family stood firmly behind her despite financial constraints. When sponsorship became a hurdle, her father was even willing to sell jewellery he had kept for her marriage so she could compete internationally. It was a measure of the faith her family placed in an ambition whose outcome was far from guaranteed.

That support also helped her train under a sumo specialist in Japan, where she learnt that strength was not merely physical. She was taught when to be aggressive, when to remain calm and how to recognise her own strengths and weaknesses.

"The mental strength is more important than physical strength, I believe," she says. The experience gave her confidence and patience, lessons she continues to draw on beyond competition.

Dave eventually finished fifth at the 2008 World Sumo Championships in Estonia, qualifying for the 2009 World Games in Taiwan. But the medal she had set out to win remained elusive. A lack of sponsorship also limited how often she could compete. For an athlete in a sport outside the mainstream, determination alone could not compensate for the absence of sustained support.

"I could not win a medal, but I made a spot of our country at the world level," she says. "I think I am a path maker. So there has to be someone who needs to start."

It is a perspective that defines how Dave looks back on her career. She does not see the absence of a medal as the absence of an achievement. By entering a sport no Indian woman had pursued before her, she believes she helped create a possibility for others.

Nor does she look back with regret. "I do not have anything in me right now that, 'kaash mein ye kar leti, kaash mein wo kar leti,'" she says. She is content that she pursued what she wanted to do and believes she did well. The outcome may not have been everything she hoped for, but she does not measure her life only by what she did not win.

Having retired from competitive wrestling in 2012 and stepped away from coaching in 2018, Dave now wants to extend the support she received to younger athletes. "If you need any support or any information or any emotional support as well, I am always there," she says. She hopes young people will look beyond conventional choices and discover their own abilities, creativity and confidence.

Her views on the sporting ecosystem are shaped by her own experience. Dave recalls people laughing at her plans because they thought she was joking or not serious about sumo. She believes athletes pursuing unfamiliar disciplines need more than recognition after they succeed. They need people willing to take their ambitions seriously before the results arrive, along with access to exposure, guidance and emotional support.

Now, her journey is reaching a wider audience through Sumo Didi, streaming on Zee 5. Dave says she feels honoured and overwhelmed that her story has been brought to the screen. Messages from friends and viewers have left her feeling blessed, and she hopes the film reaches households across India and connects with people who have been discouraged from pursuing an unfamiliar ambition.

Her message is for women and men alike: "Believe in yourself and move ahead in your life and do whatever you wish to do." She does not want people to wait for society's approval before following their ambitions.

Dave's story has not simply been about proving people wrong. It continues to be about refusing to let their assumptions determine what is possible. She entered a sport with no established path for women in India, competed internationally and made herself a starting point for others. Now, she hopes the next person who chooses an unconventional route will find it a little easier to begin.

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