Raipur, April 1: In a story that captures grit, sacrifice and quiet perseverance, Hamam Hussain turned years of struggle into triumph by winning his first-ever national gold medal at the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026.
Hailing from Jorawar village in Jammu, the 28-year-old wrestler has lived a life far removed from elite sporting facilities. When he is not training, Hamam helps his elder brother deliver milk door-to-door - a responsibility they took on after their father passed away five years ago.
The family's livelihood depends on selling milk from the buffaloes their father left behind, and wrestling has always coexisted with daily survival.
"My brother had to quit wrestling and started selling milk. I would go with him to deliver milk as
it was necessary for us to run the family. But he motivated me to continue wrestling and took me to dangals," Hamam said.
His brother's sacrifice became the foundation of Hamam's journey.
Inspired by Roots, Driven by Passion
Though his elder brother had once competed at the state level, Hamam found his own calling in the mud akhadas of his village.
"The buffaloes our father left behind became our source of livelihood. My brother ran the household by selling milk, and I helped him. But once I stepped into the mud akhada, I was fascinated with the sport," he said.
That fascination turned into a 14-year pursuit - one that had, until now, never yielded a major gold medal.
Long Roads, Limited Facilities
Hamam's journey has been defined by distance - both literal and metaphorical.
- Travels 20 km daily to train in a mud akhada
- Covers 40 km to Jammu for mat training at the SAI centre
Despite these challenges, he continued to train without the support systems many athletes take for granted.
"I don't have a personal coach. Senior wrestlers in the akhada guide us. When we train on mats, there are coaches there. In villages, we don't get the kind of facilities that wrestlers in cities have," he explained.
His story highlights the stark gap between rural and urban sporting infrastructure - and the resilience required to bridge it.
The Breakthrough Moment at KITG 2026
All those years of perseverance culminated in Ambikapur, where Hamam defeated Himachal Pradesh's Mohit Kumar to win the men's 79kg freestyle gold medal.
It was not just a victory - it was a breakthrough. After 14 years in the sport, Hamam finally stood on top of a national podium.
More Than Just a Medal
For Hamam, the gold medal represents far more than sporting success. "It feels great to be here. The facilities provided were very good. We come from a backward area where there is not much support for wrestling, so we have to travel long distances to train," he said.
He also acknowledged the importance of platforms like the Khelo India Tribal Games. "This is the first time such a competition has been organised for us, and if more such events are held, we can win more medals. "
Hamam Hussain's journey - from delivering milk to winning national gold - embodies the very purpose of the Khelo India Tribal Games: to identify and elevate talent from regions often overlooked.
In villages where resources are scarce but determination runs deep, stories like his are not exceptions - they are waiting to be discovered.
And for Hamam, this gold medal is not the finish line, but the beginning of a new chapter.
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