A CELEBRATED Indian wrester has died after falling ill during a state-level competition.

National medallist Ravi Kumar Barod went into cardiac arrest after competing in back to back mud wrestling bouts in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

The 26-year-old wrestler was the star attraction at the state-level mud “dangal” – or competition – where he chose to fight two gruelling bouts back to back without breaks on Tuesday.

Records show that he won both bouts, with the first fight lasting around 40 minutes, and the second for longer than half an hour.

Generally, most wrestling bouts only last eight minutes in total, with three rounds of two minutes each and two one-minute breaks.

Witnesses claimed the champion wrestler looked visibly exhausted and was even advised to take a break.

However, he rejected the advice and decided to go ahead with his third bout immediately.

Moments after the match commenced, he began vomiting violently before collapsing in the ring in front of horrified on-lookers.

Ravi Kumar was taken straight to a local hospital but immediately transferred to another facility more than 60 miles away where he was declared dead on arrival.

Speaking to the Times of India, one of the competition organisers said: “He kept insisting that he wanted to fight. He was very keen about the event.

“We have lost an excellent wrestler.”

Ravi Kumar began participating in senior level wrestling competitions as a child in his village of Harsola, near the city of Indore.

He was crowned India’s heavyweight champion twice in his lifetime.

The state-level wrestling competition is held annually in the district where Ravi Kumar died, and attracted around 30 competitors from across the country this year.