Narsingh Pancham Yadav

Brought in as a last-minute replacement, Narsingh Yadav stunned one and all when he won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Narsingh had been inducted into the team after Sumit failed a dope test before the Games. Following his first-round bye, Narsingh beat Mike Grundy of England (4-1, 3-0) and Canada's Evan Macdonald (1-0, 2-1) to race to the final.

The gold medal clash against South African Richard Addinall was expected to be a tough affair and Narsingh rose to the occasion in style. He banked on his alertness and solid defence to ward off a strong challenge from Addinall and emerged victorious with a 2-0, 2-0 margin.

Narsingh Pancham Yadav Medal Record

2010 - Gold (74 kg) - Delhi Commonwealth Games
2012 - Silver (74 kg) - Indian Wrestling Grand Prix

Narsingh lost 1-4 to Iran's Hosseinkhani in the final of the 74kg category to settle for a silver medal in the recently concluded Indian Wrestling Grand Prix.

Narsingh, a junior ticket checker with the Indian Railways, hails from a humble background. Son of a milk distributor in Mumbai, Narsingh has been training under Jagmal Singh since he was 13.

It is due to his sheer hard work, will power and perseverance that Narsingh has risen to such heights, a small example of which is that he underwent a right knee surgery less than two months before the Commonwealth Games where he won the gold medal.