Chennai Police Bring Home the Gold

Amidst patrolling city streets and managing law and order, a few Chennai police personnel found time to train, sweat, and soar—all the way to the podium at the World Police and Fire Games 2025 held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. From the triple jump pit to the boxing ring and arm-wrestling podiums, the Greater Chennai Police squad leaped, fought, and wrestled, returning with a haul of medals.More than 8,500 participants from 70 countries took part in the games held from June 26 to July 6. Five members from the Chennai team bagged a total of 11 medals—three gold, four silver, and four bronze.Police Constable Dinesh Velusamy from Armed Reserve-1 emerged as the top medal winner, bagging five medals in track and field events. He clinched gold in the triple jump with a leap of 16.19 metres, setting a new meet record, followed by silver in the long jump (7.03m), gold in the 110m hurdles, and bronze in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.In arm wrestling, Grade 2 Constable V Saranya, also from AR-1, secured silver in both right and left-hand categories, standing firm against competitors from 15 countries. In the finals, she put up a valiant fight against Meghalaya’s Wanda Lin. Police Constable S Arjun from Nandambakkam crime wing added to the medal tally with a silver in right-hand arm wrestling and bronze in the left. In the boxing arena, B Hari Krishnan, a traffic police constable from Royapuram traffic police, clinched gold in the 60kg lightweight category after two high-intensity bouts against Mexico and Taiwan.“I practise from 6.30am to 9am every day. I wish to participate in national and international tournaments,” says Dinesh. Hari too credits his win to relentless early morning training sessions and a balanced daily schedule of duty and rest. “This was my first international event. Now, I’m eyeing the senior nationals and the Commonwealth Games,” he says.Arjun was a consistent performer, bagging double golds in All India Police Games (2023 & 2024). “I train every day—by adding quick sessions during my lunch breaks,” says Arjun, who balances duty, training, and time with his three-year-old daughter.These police personnel are now setting an example in fitness for others. “Many policemen come to us seeking advice on losing weight. Sports help us remain active throughout the day. Seeing us, many of our colleagues are taking up sports,” says Arjun.