After state gold in wrestling, Maqsudan teen heads for nat’ls

While family responsibilities did not allow his father to fulfil his dream of becoming a wrestler, nothing seems to be able to stop the son from carving a niche for himself in the sport.

A student of School of Eminence, Maqsudan, Chirag Gill, is making waves in the Greco-Roman style of wrestling. Having bagged a gold in the recently concluded 68th Punjab State Wrestling Championship (Under-15) held at Faridkot, Chirag is now all set to head for the nationals slated to be held in Nagpur, Maharashtra, later this year.

Inspired by American wrestler Jordan Burroughs, Chirag watches his icon’s videos on loop and follows a strict regimen including diet and training to follow his dream of being an ace wrestler. His quest is for an Olympic gold.

Having started at the age of 10, he bagged his first medal at 13 and a school full of children cheered his prowess, which his doting coaches had noted early on. He was honoured by the school after winning the state gold.

Speaking to The Tribune, 15-year-old Chirag says, “My father is a businessman. When he was a kid, responsibilities and duties did not allow him the time to follow his dream of being a wrestler. But I picked it early on. Wrestling has fascinated me since childhood. I grew up watching wrestling videos and the idea of following any other sport did not even occur to me. I’m a big fan of Jordan Burroughs and ardently follow his style of wrestling. My father took me to the Jagjit Wrestling Academy when I was 10 years old and there has been no looking back since then.”

At home, his father Deepak Gill and mother Saraswati support him in his sport. Tutored under coaches Raghvendra Bhatia, Parminder Kaur, Rajinder Prasad and others, Chirag has had a decent run even before bagging the state gold this year.

At just 13 years of age in the year 2023, he won his first bronze medal in wrestling in the Punjab School State Games Competition. Last year, he won two bronze medals —- one in Punjab School Games and another in Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan.

Under preparations for the Nagpur nationals now, he follows a strict regimen as directed by his seniors at the academy. While other kids feast on pizzas and burgers, his mind is focused on his game.

“I have always dreamt of making it to the Olympics. Right now, my energies are directed at my game. I have my entire life to eat pizzas and burgers,” says a beaming Chirag.

Jalandhar