Aniyan Midhun is an Indian Wushu player who is known for being the first South Indian to represent India in International Wushu. He gained the limelight after appearing as a contestant on the Bigg Boss (Malayalam season 5) reality show on the Asianet channel in 2023.
Wiki/Biography
Aniyan Midhun was born as Midhun Mohan on Thursday, 18 June 1992 (age 31 years; as of 2023) in Nattika, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Gemini. His hometown is Thrissur, Kerala. He did his schooling at Bharath Vidya Mandir English School, Valapad, Kerala and V.P.M.S.N.D.P.Higher Secondary School, Kazhimbram, Kerala. He pursued a B.Sc Multimedia course at ICAT Design and Media College, Bangalore. He was born into a family that was dependent on fishing for their earning. His family also used to cultivate rice and bananas. In an interview, he said that when he was a child, he used to spend most of his time on the beach which grew his love for the sea. He was always interested in sports as a child, so when he was in class 5, he started Karate coaching in his hometown. In school, he was taught the basic of the game for just one period, but once his love for the game grew, he and his friend decided to practise after school. They used to train at the beach which helped him have good stamina. He started training in Karate, then kickboxing and later, he decided to learn Wushu when he was in class 7. He holds a black belt in Karate and kickboxing. In an interview, he said that his training cost a lot, so he used to earn money by farming, fishing and selling bananas with his family. He used to attend college and did training after helping his family.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′ 0″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): – Chest 44′ Waist 32′ Biceps 14′
Family
Parents & Siblings
Aniyan’s father’s name is Mohan, who worked as a fisherman. His mother’s name is Ponnamma. He has a younger sister, Gopika, who works as a physiotherapist.
Aniyan Midhun’s mother, sister and father
Wife
He is unmarried.
Religion
Aniyan follows Hinduism.
Aniyan Midhun bowing infront of Lord Shiva idol
Career
Wushu Player
On 31 March 2021, he made his debut in the South Asian Wushu Championship in Nepal in the 70 kg category where he won the gold medal.
Aniyan Mishun holding gold medal after winning South Asian Wushu Championship
In 2022, he became the World Champion in Wushu Sanda and won the gold medal in World Pro Wushu Sanda Fight held in Thailand.
Aniyan Midhun after winning the fight at World Pro Wushu Sanda Fight
In 2017, he joined Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council and Jammu and Kashmir Wushu Association and started playing Wushu for them. He has played for other associations including Kerala State Sports Council and Sports Authority of India.
Aniyan Midhun at Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council
Television
On 26 March 2023, he made his debut on television as a contestant on the Bigg Boss (Malayalam season 5) reality show on the Asianet channel.
Records
- 2021: World record for being the first South Indian to represent India in International Wushu
- 2021: World Record Holder for the fastest knockout in a match against Pakistan
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- 2021: Best Athlete of the Year Awardee
- 2021: World’s Best fighter Award by the Government of Nepal
- 2022: Human Rights Nobel Award by the Global Human Rights Trust for exceptional services, and performance of the highest order, without distinction of caste, colour, creed, religion and sex
Aniyan Midhun wins Human Rights Nobel Award
- 2022: World Best Fighter Awardee
Facts/Trivia
- He is known by the name ‘Son of the Arabian Sea’ by his friends, family and teammates.
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.
Aniyan Midhun eating chicken
- In 2010, after he started pursuing his graduation, he realized that he wanted to learn Wushu professionally, so he moved to Kashmir for training. He started training under Kuldeep Kumar Handoo, who is an Arjuna Award winner. In an interview, he talked about training under him and said,
I go to Kashmir to practice under Hundu almost every year. I generally stay there for a long time and at that time I get an opportunity to improve my endurance, fitness, speed, and strength through training on the mountain. Wushu is a game that is similar to all the games such as kickboxing, martial arts, and boxing. So, I need to develop all these ingredients.”
Aniyan Midhun with his coach Kuldeep Kumar Handoo
- In an interview, he said that he was the first person from his village to choose Wushu as his sport and learned it professionally. He further added that not many people were aware of the game at that time, so when he was selected for team India, everyone in his village used to ask what Wushu was. In the interview, he further added that when he started playing, there were not many opportunities for eclectic combat sports.
- He plays for KAKO (Keranadu Association of Kickboxing Organizations). In 2015, he became the national champion in kickboxing for the Indian Association of Kickboxing.
- In an interview, he said that there are many things while practising that are easier for him in cities than in villages because he worked hard as there was no equipment in the village. In an interview, he gave an example of this and said that he finds it easy to run on a treadmill because he used to train on the sand in his village which was many times harder than running on a machine.
- He is a martial arts and fitness trainer and trains many celebrities including Shafna, Roshan Basheer, Prayaga Martin, and Amith Chakalakkal.
- In an interview, he mentioned that he wanted to open a sports school for children in his village who were talented. He wanted to train them for free. He trains 70 students in his hometown and some of them have already won national-level medals.
- He is the brand ambassador of Absolute Nutrition and Garmin.