Ritu Negi Biography: Age, Height, Kabaddi Career, Husband, Achievements, Facts and Net Worth
Ritu Negi is an Indian kabaddi player who has become one of the most experienced names in the women’s game. Born in Sharog village in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, she moved from playing kabaddi at school level to representing India on some of the biggest international stages. She has played as a right-corner defender and has also taken leadership roles for Indian teams at junior and senior levels.
Her career includes a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, gold at the 2019 South Asian Games, gold at the 2022 Asian Games held in 2023, and a World Cup title in 2025. She also received the Arjuna Award for 2023 from the President of India in January 2024.
Ritu Negi has also built a long domestic career with Indian Railways. Before reaching the senior international level, she spent years in junior and senior national competitions and won medals for Himachal Pradesh. Her career shows how a player can rise through school, state, national and railway competitions before becoming an India captain.
Ritu Negi Biography
| Details | Information |
| Full Name | Ritu Negi |
| Profession | Indian Kabaddi Player |
| Date of Birth | 30 May 1992 |
| Age | 34 years (as of September 2026) |
| Birthplace | Sharog village, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Height | Around 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) |
| Playing Position | Right Corner Defender |
| Team | Indian Railways |
| International Team | India |
| Husband | Rohit Gulia |
| Marriage Date | 22 April 2022 |
| Major Award | Arjuna Award 2023 |
| International Gold Medals | Asian Games, South Asian Games, Women’s Kabaddi World Cup |
| Hobbies | Watching films and listening to Punjabi music |
| Net Worth | Not officially disclosed |
Early Life of Ritu Negi
Ritu Negi was born on 30 May 1992 in Sharog village in the Shillai area of Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh. She grew up in a family where sports were close to her life, with her father Bhawan Singh Negi reported as a physical training teacher. Her early years were spent in a rural part of Himachal Pradesh where sports facilities were not as easily available as they are in big cities.
Her interest in kabaddi started when she was still in school. According to biographical accounts, she saw senior girls playing kabaddi during a school event and became interested in the sport. Instead of treating it as only a school activity, she slowly started taking training more seriously.
After completing her early schooling in her village, Ritu studied at Government Senior Secondary School, Shillai. During her 10th-standard years, she was selected for the state hostel in Bilaspur. This move gave her access to better sporting facilities and regular training.
Ritu then spent around nine years training at the Sports Authority of India setup in Bilaspur while also competing in junior and senior national events. During that period, she won two gold medals in the Junior Nationals and five bronze medals in the Senior Nationals for Himachal Pradesh, according to published player profiles.
Ritu Negi’s Domestic Kabaddi Career
Ritu Negi’s domestic career started at a young age. One report says she first played at the national level for Himachal Pradesh in the 2007 National Championship in Haridwar. From there, she continued playing in state and national competitions and gradually became a regular name in Indian domestic kabaddi.
Her years at the Sports Authority of India were important because she got the chance to compete in both junior and senior tournaments. The medals she won for Himachal Pradesh gave her more experience and helped her move closer to the Indian junior setup. Her progress was not limited to one tournament, as she continued playing national competitions over several years.
In 2011, Ritu was selected as captain of the Indian junior women’s kabaddi team. India won the gold medal at the Junior Asian Championship in Malaysia that year. Becoming a junior captain at that stage of her career also gave her early experience of leading a national team.
Ritu later came into the Indian Railways system after being noticed by senior coaches during an A-Grade kabaddi tournament. She was selected for the South Central Railway women’s kabaddi team and joined the South Central department of Indian Railways in 2014.
Indian Railways became a major part of her domestic career. She played in the Senior Nationals for the railway team and was part of strong Indian Railways sides in national competitions. In the 67th Senior National Kabaddi Championship, the Indian Railways women’s team won the title, with Ritu Negi scoring six tackle points against Punjab and eight tackle points in the semi-final against Jharkhand.
These performances show the defensive role Ritu has played for Indian Railways. In recent official national-team and Asian Games documents, she has been listed as a right-corner player for Indian Railways.
Ritu Negi’s International Career
Ritu Negi’s journey in international kabaddi began with the junior Indian team before she became part of the senior national setup. Her first major senior Asian Games appearance came at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, where India won the silver medal in women’s kabaddi. Ritu was part of that Indian team.
The 2018 tournament was a major stage in her career. The Indian women’s team reached the final but finished with the silver medal. Ritu’s appearance in the squad came after years of domestic competition and training, and the tournament became an important step in her senior international journey.
In 2019, Ritu was part of the Indian women’s team at the South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Nepal. India won the gold medal, adding another international title to her career. The official Arjuna Award citation also lists this gold medal among her important achievements.
Her biggest leadership role at the Asian level came at the 2022 Asian Games, which were delayed and eventually held in Hangzhou in 2023. Ritu Negi was appointed captain of the Indian women’s kabaddi team. India defeated Chinese Taipei 26-25 in the final on 7 October 2023 to win the gold medal.
The Hangzhou gold was especially important because Ritu was captain of the side. She was part of a team that secured India’s third women’s kabaddi gold medal at the Asian Games. She had already been part of the silver-medal side in 2018, so the move from silver to gold added an important chapter to her international career.
Ritu continued in an important leadership role at the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She captained India in the tournament, while Pushpa Rana was the vice-captain. India defeated Chinese Taipei 35-28 in the final to win the title, with the Indian team finishing the tournament unbeaten.
The World Cup victory added another major international title to Ritu’s career. At the same time, the tournament showed that she remained part of India’s senior team after several years at the top level. Her experience continued to be useful in a squad containing players from different domestic teams and states.
Ritu Negi and the Asian Games 2026
Ritu Negi remains part of India’s women’s kabaddi setup in 2026. The final Indian squad for the Asian Games lists her as a right-corner defender from Indian Railways. However, in the 2026 squad, Pushpa Rana has been named captain, with Ritu Negi included in the 12-player team.
The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are scheduled for 21 to 26 September 2026. India’s women’s team is placed in Group A with Iran, Japan and Bangladesh, and Ritu is one of the experienced members of the squad.
Ritu Negi’s Personal Life
Ritu Negi is married to Rohit Gulia, who is also a kabaddi player from Haryana. The couple got married on 22 April 2022. Reports about the wedding said that Ritu had only a short break because the Indian team was in camp at the time.
Rohit Gulia is a professional kabaddi player and has played at the national level. The fact that both husband and wife are involved in kabaddi has made the sport an important part of their family life. Public reports mainly focus on their sporting careers rather than sharing many private details about their relationship.
Because Ritu is married, there is no reliable basis for describing her as currently having a boyfriend. Her publicly reported marital status is married, and her husband is Rohit Gulia.
Ritu Negi’s Hobbies
Information about Ritu Negi’s life away from kabaddi is limited in public sources. One player biography lists watching films and listening to Punjabi music among her hobbies. These details have been repeated by online profiles, although she has not publicly discussed every part of her personal routine in detail.
Ritu Negi Education
Ritu Negi completed her early schooling in Himachal Pradesh before moving to the Bilaspur sports hostel during her school years. She continued her education alongside her sporting training and is reported to have completed graduation during her years at the sports setup.
Balancing education with high-level sports was an important part of her development. Her journey also shows the role that sports hostels and training centres can play for players coming from smaller towns and villages.
Ritu Negi’s Arjuna Award
In December 2023, Ritu Negi was selected for the Arjuna Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games 2023. The official citation from the President of India records her gold medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu as key reasons for the honour.
The award was formally presented by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 9 January 2024. Ritu received the award after leading India to the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou.
She has also been reported as the first woman kabaddi player from Himachal Pradesh to receive the Arjuna Award. Her recognition gave her a place among Indian sportspersons honoured by the national sports awards.
Ritu Negi’s Cash Awards and Financial Recognition
Ritu received major financial rewards following India’s Asian Games gold medal in 2023. The Haryana government awarded her ₹3 crore and a job offer, as reported by The Tribune, because she is married to and associated with Haryana and was eligible under the state’s reward system.
The Himachal Pradesh government also honoured the state’s women kabaddi players after the Asian Games. Reports said Ritu received a ₹15 lakh cash award from the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister for her medal-winning performance.
These cash awards are separate from her salary and do not represent her total personal wealth. There is no reliable official public record that gives a confirmed figure for Ritu Negi’s total net worth.
Ritu Negi Net Worth
Ritu Negi’s exact net worth has not been officially disclosed. Various websites may publish estimated figures, but these estimates are not supported by audited financial records or an official statement from Ritu Negi, Indian Railways or the Indian kabaddi federation.
What is publicly documented is that she has worked with Indian Railways since 2014 and has received major sports-related cash rewards, including the ₹3 crore Haryana award and the ₹15 lakh Himachal Pradesh award after the 2023 Asian Games.
Ritu Negi Overall Career Stats and Achievements
Because complete match-by-match international kabaddi statistics for Ritu Negi are not available in one official public database, a medal and tournament-based table is more reliable than inventing a total of tackles or matches.
| Year | Tournament | Team/Level | Result / Achievement |
| 2007 | National Championship, Haridwar | Himachal Pradesh | First reported national-level appearance |
| Junior Career | Junior Nationals | Himachal Pradesh/SAI | 2 Gold Medals |
| Senior Domestic Career | Senior Nationals | Himachal Pradesh | 5 Bronze Medals reported |
| 2011 | Junior Asian Championship, Malaysia | India Junior Team | Gold Medal; Captain |
| 2018 | Asian Games, Jakarta-Palembang | India | Silver Medal |
| 2019 | South Asian Games, Kathmandu | India | Gold Medal |
| 2020 | 67th Senior National Championship | Indian Railways | Indian Railways won title; 6 tackle points in a pool match and 8 in semi-final |
| 2023 | Asian Games, Hangzhou | India | Gold Medal; Captain |
| 2024 | Arjuna Award ceremony | India | Arjuna Award 2023 |
| 2025 | Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, Dhaka | India | Gold Medal; Captain |
| 2026 | Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya | India | Selected in 12-member squad |
Sources for the career milestones include the Arjuna Award citation, Indian kabaddi federation documents, Pro Kabaddi’s reporting on domestic and Asian Games kabaddi, and Indian media reports.
Ritu Negi Facts
Ritu Negi has a number of interesting facts connected with her kabaddi journey. She came from Sharog village in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, and started playing after watching senior girls compete at school. She later moved to the Bilaspur sports hostel, where she spent years training and competing in national tournaments.
She became captain of the Indian junior team in 2011 and led the side to gold at the Junior Asian Championship in Malaysia. Years later, she became captain of the senior Indian women’s team and led India to gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Ritu has also had a long association with Indian Railways. She joined the South Central department in 2014 and has represented Indian Railways in major domestic competitions. The railway team became one of the main stages of her senior domestic career.
She was part of India’s silver-medal team at the 2018 Asian Games before becoming captain of the gold-medal team at the 2023-held Hangzhou Asian Games. In 2025, she added another international gold as captain when India won the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in Dhaka.
As of September 2026, Ritu Negi remains part of India’s women’s kabaddi team for the Asian Games in Japan. She is listed among the 12 selected players, with Pushpa Rana named captain, giving Ritu another international tournament appearance after a long career at the highest level.
