Dattu Baban Bhokanal: Ban, FIR, Olympics & Net Worth

Dattu Baban Bhokanal is a professional Indian rower who competed in the 2016 Olympics. He also serves as a Junior Commissioned Officer for the Indian army.

Moreover, Dattu is one of the ninth rowers to represent India in the history of the Olympics.

Similarly, he was the only Indian rower to participate in the Rio Olympics. Notably, the rower came 13th at the 2016 Olympics.

Furthermore, the athlete is referred to as Naib Subedar Dattu Bhokanal.

As of 2018, he hasn’t competed in any competition. However, he was the recent recipient of the Arjuna Award.

Likewise, the player has won seven gold medals altogether. He is considered one of India’s top rowers. But ironically, he grew up in an area with water scarcity. Nevertheless, he still thrives to become better.

QUICK FACTS

Here are a few interesting facts about Dattu Bhokanal.

Full Name	Dattu Baban Bhokanal
Birth Date	April 5, 1991
Birth Place	Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Nick Name	None
Religion	Hindu
Nationality	Indian
Ethnicity	Indian
Education	NVP Arts Commerce & Science College
Horoscope	Aries
Father’s Name	Baban Bhokanal
Mother’s Name	Ashabai Bhokanal
Siblings	None
Age	33 Years Old
Height	6 feet 2 inches
Weight	179lbs (81kg)
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Black
Build	Athletic
Profession	Rower
Sport	Rowing
Army Position	Junior Commissioned Officer
Active Years	2012-present
Marital Status	Married
Wife	Asha Dattu Bhokanal
Kids	Not Available
Net Worth	$1 Million – $5 Million
Social Media	Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Merch	Paddle, Inflatable Boat
Last Update	April 2024

Dattu Bhokanal: Early Life, Family, and Education

Dattu Baban Bhokanal was born in Nashik, Maharastra, India. His parents are Baban Bhokanal and Ashabai Bhokanal.

Additionally, the army veteran has two brothers whose details are unknown.

The Indian rower went to a government school located in Talegaon-Rohi. However, due to his parent’s condition, he could only study till grade 10.

After dropping out, he started working to help his family’s financial condition.

Furthermore, the athlete worked multiple jobs such as masonry, waiter, and driving.

Regardless, after the death of his father, he joined the army. Due to working on the farm, he instantly cleared the physical test during recruitment.

He got selected as Havaldar in the 2012 Indian army. Nonetheless, they enlisted him to play sports due to his height and physic. Thus, the Indian athlete started training for rowing in the same year.

Initially, he was afraid of rowing due to the constant boat movement. Despite that, he trained daily to become one of the best rowers. As a result, now he is comfortable rowing in any style and loves the sport.

Bhokanal is Hindu and quite religious. Likewise, he embraces his culture and is proud to be a Hindu.

Dattu Bhokanal: Age, Height, and Weight

Dattu Baban Bhokanal is 33 Years Old as of April 5, 2020.

Above all, he takes excellent care of his fitness as an army officer and athlete. Furthermore, he is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 179 lbs, i.e., 81kg.

As a farmer’s son, he always endured labor in his life. Due to this, his stamina and physic have always been top-notch.

Moreover, the athlete trains his body every day to stay in shape.

Dattu Bhokanal: Rowing Career

Indoor Championship

Dattu was selected in 2012 by the Indian army and instantly picked for rowing. Hence, he started training under coach Kudrat Ali in Pune.

Furthermore, he additionally trained for another year before entering into National Championship.

In 2014, the army rower entered into Senior National Championship. Thus, the army rower competed in the men’s single sculls. As a result, his true potential was displayed with a victorious win.

Likewise, in 2017 he again competed in the Senior National Championship. Indeed, he again secured the gold position.

Moreover, the athlete also entered the 2017 Indoor National Championship. He won the men’s single sculls by taking 6:32 minutes.

Besides that, 2017 proved to be an excellent year for the Indian rower.

Above all, the Times of India Group awarded him with the Times of India Best Player award. Also, the Government of Maharashtra awarded him with Shiv Chhatrapati Award.

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Asian Championship

After winning the 2014 National Championship, he entered the Asian Games.

Furthermore, the Asian Games held this game in Incheon for men’s double sculls.

Subsequently, they finished the match in 6:47 minutes to secure the 5th position.

Similarly, after his disappointing loss, the rower entered the 2015 Asian Rowing Championship.

Moreover, This event was held in Bejing for men’s single sculls. Meanwhile, he secured the second position with a time of 7:18 minutes.

Correspondingly, the Indian athlete again entered the 2018 Asian games. This time he competed for the quadruple and single sculls simultaneously.

Further, the Indian team secured gold for the quadruple sculls. However, Dattu came 5th for the single sculls.

Olympics

Correspondingly, Dattu entered FISA Asian Oceania Olympic Qualifier after a series of wins.

Furthermore, this was held in Chungju, South Korea, in 2016. Moreover, the rower secured the second position in the men’s single sculls.

In addition to winning the silver medal, Dattu qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Above all, he was the only Indian rower to be qualified.

Hence, this made him an instant hero of the rowing community.

Finally, the professional rower competed in the men’s single sculls for the Olympics.

Further, out of 12 rounds, he had to play five matches. Despite being an elite rower, he only won one round out of five. Similarly, in the final round, he only secured the 13th position.

Meanwhile, this was a disappointing loss for the Indian hero. However, he is more motivated to win next time.

Therefore, he looks for the next Olympics game to prove his worth.

Two-Year Suspension Lifted

During the Asian Games in 2018, Bhokanal competed in quadruple and single sculls. Furthermore, the quadruple team went on to win the game.

However, the rower failed to meet the expectation and secured the 5th position for the single sculls.

Moreover, during the single sculls, the rower had pulled out of the game mid-way earlier.

Hence, the Rowing Federation of India imposed a two-year ban on him. Further, the Rowing Federation of India imposed this ban on April 30, 2019.

Nevertheless, the professional athlete wrote a letter to the Athlete’s Commission. He mentioned reducing the ban period for the upcoming 2021 Olympics in the letter.

Eventually, the Indian Olympic Association president had asked to review the suspension.

On review, RFI lifted the suspension as of January 23, 2020. Thus, the player could now qualify and compete in the upcoming Olympics.

Dattu Bhokanal: Marriage and Kids

The athlete is married to Asha Dattu Bhokanal. However, details regarding his wife and their wedding are limited. Nevertheless, we do know that they eloped.

Asha is a female constable with the Nashik police. The couple’s marriage hasn’t been a smooth road. Nonetheless, we do hope they have consoled each other.

Since it hasn’t been much longer, the pair have been married and might not have kids.

But if their marriage goes smoothly, we might hear baby cries soon.

FIR Against Bhokanal For Harassing his Wife

On May 16, 2019, an FIR was filed against the Olympian. Furthermore, the complaint was filed by his Wife, Asha Dattu Bhokanal, a constable.

Also, the FIR claimed that he had allegedly harassed her mentally and physically.

Moreover, she claims they had been married secretly for two years as of 2019.

However, they thought of making the marriage official by throwing a ceremony. Further, the athlete decided not to show up in the hall.

Hence, the Indian rower was charged under sections 498A and 420. Nevertheless, no arrests were made based on those charges.

Consequently, he approached the High court in July to quash the FIR.

The professional athlete couldn’t compete in any competition due to the FIR.

After reviewing the FIR, the higher court determined to quash it.

Dattu Bhokanal: Net Worth and Salary

The rower has built a splendid wealth amount through his rowing career.

Dattu’s estimated net worth is between $1 million to $5 million.

Besides, the athlete earns a good salary as a junior commissioned officer.

However, his exact salary is unknown, but an average officer with his rank earns from ₹6,03,687 to ₹6,51,915 per year.

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Dattu Bhokanal: Social Media Presence

The gold medalist is active on various social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Furthermore, he has over 3.5K followers on Instagram.

The athlete mostly posts pictures alongside his family. Besides, he shares his life as a rower on his Instagram handle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFOmjfWDGWe/

He also has a picture with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Aside from that, he also has a Twitter account with over 1.6K followers. He used his platform to educate his followers about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Moreover, he has tweeted a picture of himself receiving the vaccine.

Similarly, Dattu also has a Facebook account with over 10.5K followers. He usually shares photos of himself on his Facebook handle.

Dattu Bhokanal: FAQS

When was the ban on Dattu Baban Bhokanal lifted?

The Rowing Federation of India lifted the ban on Bhokanal as of January 23, 2020.

What rank is Dattu Baban Bhokanal?

Currently, Dattu is a Junior Commissioned Officer.

Has Dattu Baban Bhokanal won the Senior National Championship?

Yes, Dattu Bhokanal has won the Senior National Championship of India.

The Maharastra born has won the Senior National Championship twice, in 2014 and 2017, in Men’s Single Sculls category.

In what position did Dattu Bhokanal rank in the Rio Olympics?

Dattu ranked 13th in The Men’s Single Sculls in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.