{"id":2291,"date":"2026-09-28T08:37:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T08:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/28\/from-toilet-cleaner-two-time-asian-games-kabaddi-champion\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T08:37:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T08:37:34","slug":"from-toilet-cleaner-two-time-asian-games-kabaddi-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/28\/from-toilet-cleaner-two-time-asian-games-kabaddi-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"From Toilet Cleaner to Two\u2011Time Asian Games Kabaddi Champion Aslam Inamdar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>India secured the men\u2019s kabaddi gold at the Asian Games in Nagoya after a tense final against Iran, and the victory marked the second continental title for raider Aslam Inamdar. The win not only added another medal to his collection but also highlighted a personal narrative that began with a 14\u2011year\u2011old boy sleeping on train seats, cleaning public toilets and selling juice to stay in the sport he loved.<\/p>\n<h2>Early hardships and first steps in kabaddi<\/h2>\n<p>Inamdar grew up in Takli Bhan, a village in Maharashtra\u2019s Ahilyanagar district, as one of five children. His father died when he was young, leaving his mother to support the family by doing household chores and washing utensils for other homes. The family lived in a house lacking proper flooring or a roof, and food was often scarce. To survive, the future star began collecting discarded bottles at the age of eleven or twelve, selling them to scrap dealers to buy meals.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond bottle\u2011selling, he took on a variety of low\u2011paid jobs: washing dishes, cleaning washrooms, working on farm fields, and even selling tea and juice at local stalls. He admits that on some occasions he stole food simply to fill his stomach, emphasizing that \u201cit was just to fill my stomach. I faced many hard situations without letting them break me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the relentless need to work, kabaddi remained a constant. Influenced by his elder brother Waseem, a well\u2011known player in several districts, and senior player Rahul Bhor, Inamdar practiced whenever he could, regardless of the time of day. The sport required minimal equipment\u2014just a village ground\u2014and offered a rare avenue for a child with limited resources to earn a modest income.<\/p>\n<p>By the time he was fourteen or fifteen, Inamdar was traveling alone across Maharashtra to compete in the 50\u202fkg and 55\u202fkg weight categories. Tournament winnings ranged from \u20b9200 to \u20b9500 per match, enough to buy a meal but insufficient for long\u2011term security. Nevertheless, each win kept him moving from one event to the next, reinforcing his resolve to pursue the game.<\/p>\n<h2>Breakthrough in the Pro Kabaddi League and first Asian Games gold<\/h2>\n<p>Inamdar\u2019s fortunes changed dramatically with the advent of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). In his debut season, he earned \u20b98\u202flakh\u2014a sum he described as feeling \u201clike eight crore\u201d compared with his earlier earnings. The windfall allowed him to purchase a gold necklace for his mother, a symbolic gesture of gratitude for the sacrifices she had made.<\/p>\n<p>His performances for Puneri Paltan soon earned him a reputation as one of India\u2019s leading raiders, and his growing stature led to selection for the national team. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Inamdar captured his first gold medal, confirming his arrival on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p>Even after that triumph, his journey was not without setbacks. In 2014, while India competed at the Asian Games, Inamdar was sidelined at home with a fractured leg, watching the competition on television. He reflected that \u201cGod\u2019s plans are always better\u201d and that his hard work never stopped, even during the injury lay\u2011off.<\/p>\n<h2>Back\u2011to\u2011back gold in Nagoya and future mentorship<\/h2>\n<p>The 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya offered Inamdar a chance to repeat his success. In the gold\u2011medal match against Iran, India held a narrow lead when Inamdar executed a daring raid deep into the Iranian half. His teammate Pawan Sehrawat later described the decision as \u201ca bad decision,\u201d but Inamdar secured two touches and emerged unscathed, narrowing the gap and helping India clinch the title. After the match, Inamdar smiled and said, \u201cIt was a wrong move, but ant bhala toh sab bhala (if the end is good, it\u2019s all worth it).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He recalled the pressure of that moment, noting that he had \u201cgone through things you wouldn\u2019t even imagine. This is nothing.\u201d The victory marked his second Asian Games gold, a milestone he described as feeling \u201clike a dream.\u201d He reflected on his past, saying, \u201cI often think about how someone who didn\u2019t even have food at home holds two international medals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iran has long been India\u2019s toughest opponent in Asian Games kabaddi, featuring experienced players such as Fazel Atrachali, who was contesting his fifth Games. Inamdar acknowledged the challenge, stating, \u201cIran is generally the most challenging opponent for us\u2026 a tough challenge makes winning the gold medal feel even more rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beyond his personal achievements, Inamdar now devotes time to mentoring young, under\u2011privileged players at a training ground in Thane. He shares his story openly, urging aspiring athletes to \u201cdream big and aim to achieve even more than I have,\u201d and emphasizing that \u201cwhatever happens, they shouldn\u2019t stop working hard. They shouldn\u2019t stop believing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From a childhood of sleeping on train seats and cleaning public restrooms to standing atop the podium in Nagoya, Aslam Inamdar\u2019s ascent underscores the transformative power of sport in India\u2019s socio\u2011economic landscape. His journey, marked by relentless labor, modest earnings, and eventual national glory, now serves as a roadmap for the next generation of kabaddi talent from disadvantaged backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aslam Inamdar\u2019s journey from sleeping on train seats and cleaning toilets to winning back\u2011to\u2011back Asian Games gold medals illustrates the power of perseverance in Indian kabaddi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[1661,2483,216,469,555,2484],"class_list":["post-2291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-asian-games","tag-aslam-inamdar","tag-india","tag-kabaddi","tag-sports","tag-underprivileged-athletes","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}