MDU link in Haryana’s sports success story
ROHTAK: Four alumni of colleges affiliated to Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, have brought Olympic medals for India since the 2008 Beijing event when boxer Vijender Singh bagged the bronze medal. Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt won a bronze for India in the 2012 London Olympics, wrestler Sakshi Malik secured a bronze in the 2016 Rio event and Ravi Dahiya, another wrestler, recently came back with a silver medal from Tokyo.
The Rohtak varsity has produced as many as 276 international-level players in various disciplines. Twelve of the 30 players from Haryana who were part of the Indian contingent at Tokyo Olympics had a MDU connection.
Wrestlers Sonam Malik and Anshu Malik, and three women hockey players — Neha, Monika Malik and Nisha Warsi — are at present students in different colleges affiliated to the MDU.
As many as 27 MDU alumni, including Geeta Phogat, Babita Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik (all wrestlers); Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Jai Bhagwan (boxers); Mamta Kharab (hockey) and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, have been honoured with prestigious Arjuna Award. Raj Kumar Sangwan, a boxer, was the first MDU alumni to receive the Arjuna Award in 1996. Also, 20 MDU alumni have represented India in the Commonwealth Games and nearly 40 have secured a medal in the Asian Games, to date.
MDU sports director Devender Singh Dhull said Haryana has emerged as the best state in the country in producing international players and MDU has played a crucial role in it. “We have produced four Olympic medallists since 2008 and all of them had represented MDU in the inter-university tourneys,” he added.