Gaya Priest Sandeep Pathak Wrestles His Way To International Glory, Wins 200 Medals But Awaits A Govt Job
He has won medals, some international as well, while inspiring Bihar's wrestlers to get into the ring and earn recognition for country, reports Sartaj Alam.
Published : August 4, 2026 at 3:52 PM IST
|Updated : August 4, 2026 at 7:01 PM IST
Gaya : Every morning, 30-year-old Sandeep Kumar Pathak performs Hindu rituals as a priest for pilgrims visiting Gaya’s revered Vishnupad Temple. By evening, he quickly gets into wrestler’s gear, training relentlessly in both the traditional mitti ka akhada (mud wrestling arena) and Greco-Roman wrestling. Despite coming from a middle-class Brahmin family with no wrestling background, Sandeep has overcome numerous challenges to become one of Bihar’s recognised international wrestlers.
Born into a Brahmin family, Sandeep had little knowledge of wrestling during his childhood. However, his passion for sports began early when he started playing kabaddi in school. His concentration in the game was marked by aggression usually seen in sports like wrestling. Despite repeated warnings from his school sports teacher against throwing fellow players to the ground, he continued to play in the same style.
One of his teachers, who saw his characteristic signs of wrestling in kabaddi, advised him to consider the sport as a career.
“My teacher told me that such aggression was better suited to wrestling, where it could earn me national recognition, whereas in kabaddi it could invite disciplinary action from the federation and jeopardise my sporting career,” he recalled.
Hailing from Chakand in Nagar block of Gaya district, he belonged to a family of priests where his father serves as a priest at the Vishnupad Temple in Gaya, conducting the pind daan rituals for pilgrims under senior priest Hira Nath.
The family’s association with priesthood spans generations. Sandeep says he represents the third generation of priests in his family.
Although none in his family had ever taken up wrestling, Sandeep’s teacher got him enrolled in a district-level wrestling competition before he had even learnt the technical moves of the sport. To everyone’s surprise, he returned with a gold medal.
“I started training in a traditional mud wrestling arena to build strength and master wrestling techniques. But my initial training began at Sangat Akhada before gradually shifting to mat wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling,” says the athlete.
His consistent performances earned him selection for national-level competitions. He has represented Bihar in several prestigious wrestling championships, competed in the Khelo India Games and performed well in the National Games.
Sandeep recalls that his family initially opposed his decision to become a wrestler. “I would secretly attend wrestling practice because my relatives felt a Brahmin boy could not succeed in a sport where many athletes consumed meat, fish and eggs to build strength. And I did not consume any of these,” he reveals.
Sandeep broke that stereotype by proving that determination matters more than diet. Relying on milk, ghee, almonds and a strictly vegetarian diet, he built an impressive body that suited his wrestling career. He first competed in the 80 kg category before moving to the 98 kg-plus category, where he finished runner-up in an international competition.
In 2023, Sandeep won a silver medal at the South Asian Sambo Wrestling Championship held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
He was India’s only wrestler in his weight category, although competitors from the country participated in other divisions as well. Competing in the above-98 kg category, he impressed with his performance and returned home with a silver medal, earning recognition.
He has won 70 gold medals so far. “Since I started competing in all forms of wrestling, I have won around 200 medals from school, district, state and national competitions combined. I have won seven medals in the National Games, including a gold medal. I also won a silver medal in Bangladesh, where I defeated a wrestler from Sri Lanka during the competition,” says Sandeep.
The sportsman at heart Sandeep says that his family wanted him to concentrate on academics, believing that only education could secure him a government job. But he did not pay any heed, with the thought that his sports career could also help him get a job under the sports quota.
“Bihar government’s ‘Medal Lao, Naukri Pao’ (Bring Medals, Get Jobs) scheme changed the prospects for athletes,” says Sandeep, who now fulfils all eligibility criteria under Categories A, B and C based on his medals and is waiting for the Sports Department to announce the recruitment drive.
“I hope the Sports Authority will invite me when the next government recruitment is announced. I have already submitted my application. I am hopeful it will happen soon. The government has provided jobs to many athletes in recent years. Bihar has greatly promoted sports,” he says.
Sandeep is currently Gaya district’s first wrestler competing in the 105 kg weight category. Besides mat wrestling, he continues to practice in traditional mud arenas to improve his fitness and sharpen his wrestling skills.
Mud wrestling is considered physically more demanding than mat wrestling. Therefore, Sandeep regularly participates in traditional dangal competitions held in Bihar and other states.
A few months ago, he won a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh in one such competition. He has also won prize money in several other dangals.
Apart from competing, Sandeep trains young wrestlers at the Khelo India Mini Training Centre located in Gaya Sports Complex. Several of his trainees have already represented their state at junior national competitions.
Despite balancing priesthood and wrestling, Sandeep continues to perform the family rituals with devotion. “My work as a priest helps me support my expensive training routine. If I don’t earn myself, I won’t be able to maintain my diet,” he says.
His daily diet costs more than Rs 500. He drinks two litres of milk every day, consumes over 250 grams of almonds, along with ghee and other nutritious vegetarian foods, strictly following a wrestler’s dietary regimen.
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