Watch: 17-Year-Old Wrestler Sunny Fulmali Wins Asian Youth Wrestling Championship Gold While Living In Tarpaulin Hut

A 17-year-old boy walks home on a muddy lane in Pune’s Lohegaon, wearing India’s tricolour on his chest. He has a gold medal that shines brightly; however, his journey to the top isn’t a rosy one.  Living in a makeshift house made from tarpaulin sheets to winning a gold medal for India in the Asian Youth Wrestling Championship in the 60 kg category in Bahrain, Sunny Subhash Fulmali’s story is a tale of struggle.

Sunny Fulmali’s story from the struggle to glory  

Sunny explained that his family hails from Ashti in Beed district. They moved to Pune about 15 years ago. With the landowner's permission, they have been living in a hut in Lohegaon for the past 15 years.

The youngster’s home has no walls, no tiles, just bamboo poles and a plastic roof. His mother cooks under the same tent where his family sleeps at night. The Fulmalis came to Pune from Maharashtra’s Beed district in search of work. Sunny’s father travels from village to village with a Nandi bull, telling fortunes to survive. His mother sells needles and small household items on the roadside.

Despite the odds, wrestling runs deep in Sunny’s blood. “My grandfather was a wrestler, then my father. He trained my brothers and me,” says Sunny. When his coach, Sandeep Bhondve, saw his determination, he took the young boy under his wing, covering all his training expenses for nearly five years. Sunny also trains under Vastad Somnath Moze and Sadashiv Rakhpasare at Raiba Talmit in Lohegaon.

Now in class ten, Sunny dreams of stepping onto the Olympic mat one day, carrying India’s flag again this time on the world’s biggest stage. His brother Suraj says, “We live in a hut with no walls, but Sunny’s courage gives us strength. We just hope the government notices his hard work.”

Published on: Friday, November 07, 2025, 08:39 AM IST