Suchika Tariyal
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| Born | 16 August 1990 Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Suchika Tariyal Hooda (born 16 August 1990) is an Indian sportsperson who has represented her country in international competitions in judo, kurash, jujutsu, and mixed martial arts.[1]
Early life
[edit]Suchika was born on 16 August 1990 in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh and raised in Rohtak, Haryana.[2] Hailing from a conservative family, she initially faced opposition to pursue sports, particularly from her grandmother, who believed that girls should not be allowed to travel outside the home.[3] At the age of 12, she experienced eve teasing, which led her to take up combat sports.[4]
Career
[edit]Suchika began her competitive career in judo, representing India at more than twenty international competitions and winning eight national titles. She won gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games, as well as a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Championships in the women's 57 kg category.[5] She also competed at several Asian Championships and placed fifth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where she lost the bronze medal match.[6]
She represented India in kurash at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.[7] And later transitioned to jujutsu, winning the gold medal in the contact female 63 kg category at the 2024 Ju-Jitsu World Championships in Heraklion.[3]
She also competed in mixed martial arts (MMA), making her professional debut in 2017. She took a seven-year break from MMA while competing in judo and jujutsu. In December 2024, she returned to professional MMA at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain after signing a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation.[5]
She won bronze medals in the women's 60 kg traditional MMA events at the 2026 AMMA Asian Championships in Luzhou and Tashkent.[2] At the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, she won the bronze medal in the women's 60 kg category, becoming the first Indian athlete to win a MMA medal at the Asian Games.[8] She lost the semifinal to Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo after the bout ended in a controversial draw upon referral, with Teo being awarded the tiebreaker for being 700 grams lighter at the weigh-in.[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Suchika served as a Head constable in the Central Industrial Security Force and later joined the Government of Haryana's, Department of Sports, as a junior coach.[5]
She was a contestant on the 18th season of MTV Roadies and was one of the warriors in India's Ultimate Warrior on Discovery+.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ Selvaraj, Jonathan (14 September 2026). "Suchika Tariyal keeps starting over. At 36, she's learning MMA for the Asian Games". Sportstar.
- 1 2 Verma, Varun (21 September 2026). "Suchika Tariyal Story: From Childhood Trauma to Asian Games MMA Medal". Jagran Josh.
- 1 2 "Suchika Tariyal clinches gold at Ju-Jitsu World Championships in Greece". The Bridge. 28 October 2024.
- ↑ "A victim of eve-teasing at 12, versatile Suchika Tariyal now aims for MMA glory at Asian Games ". ANI. 16 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Who is Suchika Tariyal? From self-defence to assuring India an Asian Games medal in MMA". The Economic Times. 20 September 2026.
- 1 2 Keshri, Shweta (8 August 2022). "Did you know This Roadies contestant represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games?". India Today.
- ↑ Dubey, Nitesh (21 September 2026). "Suchika Tariyal creates history, wins India's maiden MMA medal at Asian Games 2026". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ "Asian Games 2026: Suchika Tariyal wins bronze, secures India's first-ever medal in MMA". The Economic Times. 21 September 2026.
- ↑ Singh, Hijam Raju (21 September 2026). "Why Suchika Tariyal lost despite a draw: How 700g denied India's MMA fighter a historic final and left her in tears". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ Buswal, Neha (21 September 2026). "'Completely disagree': Suchika Tariyal reacts to controversial SF verdict that denied her Asian Games final". The Statesman.
