Divya Kakran is an Indian freestyle wrestler who won the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2021 Almaty Asian Wrestling Championships in the 72 kg weight class, the 2020 New Delhi Asian Wrestling Championships (68 kg), the 2017 Johannesburg Commonwealth Wrestling Championship (68 kg), the 2017 Senior National Wrestling Championship (68 kg), and the 2017 All India University Championship (68 kg). She clinched the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2017 New Delhi Asian Wrestling Championships in the 69 kg weight class. She secured the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and the 2019 Xi’an Asian Wrestling Championships – all in the 68 kg weight class. For her services to wrestling, the Government of India honored her with the Arjuna Award (the 2nd-highest sporting honor in India) in 2020.
Born Name
Divya Kakran
Nick Name
Divya
Divya Kakran as seen in an Instagram Post in June 2022 (Divya Kakran / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Purbaliyan, Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Residence
Delhi, India
Nationality
Education
Divya, after her high school graduation, studied Physical Education and Sports Sciences (BPES) at the Noida College of Physical Education near Dadri, a town in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Occupation
Freestyle Wrestler
Divya Kakran as seen in an Instagram Post in August 2022 (Divya Kakran / Instagram)
Family
Father – Suraj Sain (Textile Merchant)
Mother – Sanyogita Sain
Siblings – Dev Sain (Brother), Deepak Sain (Brother)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 6 in or 167.5 cm
Weight
68 kg or 150 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Divya has dated –
Sachin Pratap Singh (2022-Present) – Divya got engaged to a professional bodybuilder named Sachin Pratap Singh in January 2022. They are scheduled to get married after the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Divya Kakran and Sachin Pratap Singh, as seen in April 2022 (Divya Kakran / Instagram)
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Ever-changing hairstyle
Boyish, chubby face
Affable smile
Religion
Hinduism
Divya Kakran as seen in an Instagram Post in January 2022 (Divya Kakran / Instagram)
Divya Kakran Facts
Although her parents and brothers have used ‘Sain’ as their surname, Divya has always used ‘Kakran’ as it has long been associated with her family which belongs to the Kakrana clan of Jats, a traditionally agricultural community in northern India.
She comes from a poor background financially – her father used to sell langots (a loincloth worn by men in the Indian subcontinent as underclothing, especially by wrestlers), sewn by her mother at home, to make a living.
Divya has often been quite vocal about the lack of support from the Government of Delhi, where she has been residing for several years. This hurt came out strongly after the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games where she won the ‘Bronze’ medal. She complained that she received no help from the Government of Delhi despite having written several letters to them about her poor financial background.
The grouse came out in public again in 2022 after she won the ‘Bronze’ medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, congratulated her in a tweet. She responded by alleging that she had still not received any prize money or financial help from the Government of Delhi, leaving the self-righteous politician red-faced.
She has received some assistance from the Government of India though, whose Ministry of Railways has employed her as a senior ticket examiner with the Indian Railways, a statutory body that operates India’s national railway system. This job has helped her not just in financial terms but also afforded her sufficient time to focus fully on wrestling.
As of July 2022, she had won 17 ‘Gold’ medals at the Delhi State Championships and the ‘Bharat Kesari’ title 8 times. The latter competition is organized by the Sports and Youth Affairs department of the Government of the northern Indian state of Haryana to commemorate the martyrdom day of the legendary freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev.
