Kapil Pokhariya took up combat sports in Chakarpur village after being inspired by WWE broadcasts, prompting his father to eventually enroll him in a formal training academy. Working under coach Pooran Bohra, he rebounded from a 2015 debut defeat to capture a national gold medal. He enlisted as an Army havaldar in April 2017 to continue competing on the military circuit. His latest bronze medal win in Japan now guarantees his advancement to the rank of naib subedar.
Key points
International athletic success at the Asian Games has earned Kapil Pokhariya an Army prom…: International athletic success at the Asian Games has earned Kapil Pokhariya an Army promotion to naib subedar.
A transition from grassroots national success led Pokhariya to enlist in the Indian Army…: A transition from grassroots national success led Pokhariya to enlist in the Indian Army as a havaldar in 2017.
Pokhariya's newly earned military rank officially surpasses the retired havaldar rank pre…: Pokhariya's newly earned military rank officially surpasses the retired havaldar rank previously held by his father.
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NEW DELHI: Jumping on cotton-filled mattresses, punching pillows, throwing them over walls and hitting a homemade punching bag filled with mountain soil - Kapil Pokhariya’s childhood was all about pro-wrestling.
His fascination with pro-wrestler
Roman Reigns was well known in his locality. He would skip meals, playtime, and outings to watch WWE programming on television. Once the show was over, he would try to copy the moves and punches at home.
Little did he know that this childhood fascination could one day bring him his biggest recognition.
Today, Kapil - an
Indian Army havaldar - is an
Asian Games medallist. Kapil won bronze in the men’s 90kg boxing event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
“I never knew that copying Roman Reigns and practising those punches would bring me this far. I used to save recordings of his videos, and I still have them. I am really proud of where I am today. Honestly, I started learning how to throw punches by copying Roman Reigns (laugh),” Kapil told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
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