Kavita Devi is making waves at the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE): She became a sensation when a video of her lifting a female wrestler in the ring while wearing a saffron salwar-kameez with a dupatta tied around her waist went viral.
Devi eventually lost the match to New Zealand's Dakota Kai in the first round of the WWE Mae Young Classic 2017 event, which was held in July, but she became a sensation online.
Here are interesting things to know about her.
She is from Haryana
Devi, who hails from Haryana, was a constable with the Sashastra Seema Bal. She is a former powerlifter and MMA fighter, and has won gold medals at global events including the 2016 South Asian Games.
Kavita Devi is married
Devi is married to a volleyball player, who approached The Great Khali to train her. She also has a 5-year-old son, who currently lives with his aunt.
The Great Khali trained her
The Great Khali trained Devi at his Punjab-based wrestling promotion and training academy, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE). She started as a pro-wrestler under the ring name Hard KD. She made her CWE debut wearing salwar-kameez.
First Indian woman to compete in the WWE ring
Devi created history when she became the first Indian woman to participate in the WWE. She was selected along with 31 other female contestants from around the world in the first-ever Mae Young Classic.
"I am honoured to be the first Indian woman to compete in WWE's first ever women's tournament. I hope to use this platform to inspire other Indian women with my performance and make India proud," she said in June this year.
Inspiring Indian women
Devi said she wants Indian women to participate in the wrestling competitions. "I think it's possible. If you saw me wrestle, I wrestled in traditional Indian attire. Representing Indian culture is very important," she told Sports Keeda in an interview.
"My very objective of going there was to pave the path for other Indian girls to go to WWE and ensure that they don't face any obstacles along the way. I wanted to show Indian girls that you do not need the kind of ring gear worn by international performers, to compete at such a level," she said.
A fan of wrestling
Devi admitted that she was a big fan of wrestling and watched WWE on TV when she was a kid. "I remember watching all the fights of wrestlers like The Undertaker and female wrestlers like Chyna. In fact, when The Great Khali entered wrestling, I used to wish I could somehow emulate him," she told The Times of India.
"Like he was the first Indian man to win a world title, I wanted to be the first woman. But that was just a dream. Never had I thought that one day, I'd be competing in the same ring as these legends," said Devi.
