Pooja Dhanda is an Indian freestyle wrestler. In 2018, she won a bronze medal in the 57 kg category at the World Championship. She has also been bestowed with Bharat Kesari four times. [1]Amar Ujala Pooja Dhanda with her Bharat Kesari award.She grew up in Budana Village in Narnaund, Hisar, Haryana, India. Pooja Dhandas childhood photo.In 2004, she started training in judo and wrestling at Hisars Mahavir Stadium from coach Subash Chander Soni. In Judo, she has won four gold medals in junior nationals. In 2007, she won a bronze medal at Asian Cadet Judo Championship.In 2008, she participated in Asian Cadet Judo Championship and won a gold medal.During a national camp in Aurangabad, she met Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi, who suggested that she focus either on judo or wrestling and not both and told her that her physique was more suitable for wrestling than wrestling judo. Pooja accepted his suggestion and decided to choose wrestling. In an interview, she talked about this and said, Since childhood, I wanted to be a wrestler but because of my age, I joined judo in 2007 and won medals for the country. But later when I was 16-year-old, I was advised to opt one sport and I joined wrestling. [2]India Today.In 2010, she won a silver medal at Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore.In 2013, she won a gold medal at Senior Wrestling Nationals. In the same year, she participated in World Wrestling Championship; however, she was out after the first round.In 2014, she won a bronze medal in Asian Wrestling Championships.In 2015, she got injured while training at the Sports Authority of India Centre in Lucknow following which she could not compete in wrestling competitions for two years. In 2016, she recovered after two surgeries.In 2016, she was offered to play the role of Babita Phogat in Aamir Khans film Dangal; however, she could not get the role owing to her knee injury. In an interview, she talked about this and said, It was alright being an actor (in the Dangal casting trials). But I prefer writing my own story..