Wrestling in India was largely been considered as a “Men’s only” sport in India until the generation of famous “ Phogat sisters” came into the picture. Yes, we are talking about the same “ Phogat sisters” which you have already seen in the famous Bollywood movie “ Dangal” a few years back. The movie was produced by Amir Khan who also played the role of ‘Mahavir Phogat’ who is the father of the “ Phogat sisters ‘ and played a crucial role in their development as a renowned wrestler across the globe.
If you have seen the movie, you might relate “ Phogat sisters” to only Geeta and Babita Phogat but in actual, they are six sisters with one brother with four of them into the wrestling sport.
How did the wrestling Journey begin for the Phogat sisters?
The Phogat family belongs to the Bilali village in Haryana which used to be considered as one of the least developed and Orthodox areas in the country. Thus, the journey for the Phogat sisters was not at all a “walk on the cake” and his father sacrificed a lot to make them train and become what they are today in the sports of wrestling. Mahavir Phogat, who was also one of India’s top wrestlers of his era, always wanted to win a medal for the country in an International event and whilst he couldn’t achieve the same himself, he dreamt of getting there through his son.
This is where he got 3 daughters in the wait for a son and finally decided to train them instead. The journey forward was not that easy for him and the family but he still didn’t give up on his dreams. Whilst we know what happened next, let’s take a look at all the four “ Phogat sisters” who scored high in the Pro wrestling world.
Geeta Phogat
Geeta is the eldest of the “ Phogat sisters” and also the one who made the biggest mark in the wrestling world out of the rest. Not only she has won a Commonwealth gold in the women’s category in 2010, but she also qualified for the Olympics after becoming the first Indian women to win a bronze in a world championship. Moreover, she is also the only one of the sisters who got long hairdo and generally ties it during the bouts. On the other side, the rest of the “ Phogat sisters” got a short hairdo.
Geeta has had a phenomenal 2013 and she won 6 out of seven bouts in the wrestling world cup which quotes a remarkable achievement by any women wrestler.
Also check:-Life, Achievements, Family and Dangal Girl Geeta Phogat
Babita Kumari Phogat
Babita stands next in the age category amongst the “ Phogat sisters” and she is also right next to his elder sister Geeta in terms of success in the wrestling arena as well. Babita started off his journey with a silver medal win in the 2010 commonwealth games which has been followed by a bronze medal in the World wrestling championships. She kept on going with her efforts and won the gold medal finally in the 2014 commonwealth games at Glasgow.
Babita and her sisters have a played a major role in changing the mindset of the Indian society towards their girls and all of them really set a big example amongst every family, who don’t let their girls chase their own dreams. Although Babita also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics games in 2016, she didn’t been able to clinch a medal in the process. Still, she and her sisters have achieved a lot for their country and we all are proud of their remarkable achievements around the world.
Vinesh Phogat
Not everyone knows but Vinesh Phogat has been adopted by Mahavir Singh Phogat after her father’s death and he is the one who raised her and her sister Priyanka from there on. Just like her elder sisters, Vinesh also trained very hard under the supervision of his father and also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the process. Still, even after being the most talented wrestler in the circuit, she got out of the tournament due to a knee injury.
Vinesh also had her share of hardships during her childhood and her along with her family really found it hard to make a feasible place to wrestle against the opposite perspective from within their own community. Still, she didn’t give up and kept on going with her brilliant performances at the junior levels and also had numerous medals at the Asian wrestling championships for cadets.
Also Check:- Vinesh Phogat Personal Information, Career Achievements, Facts & Net worth
Ritu Phogat
Ritu Phogat is the youngest of the “ Phogat sisters” but she is still right up there with the rest of her sister’s terms of talent and achievements in the Wrestling world. Ritu wrestles at the 48 kg category along with her sister Vinesh and she got numerous medals at her name from the same category till now. Whilst she has won a silver and bronze in the World Juniors’ championship, she also got gold to her name in the Junior Asian championships.
Just like her sisters, even Ritu wants every girl to form the Indian society to break the shackles of patriarchy and come forward in order to pursue their ambitions and dreams in whatsoever manner they want. She is also running a campaign with her sisters to bring the most underprivileged women wrestlers in the country forward to give them a feasible platform to prove their talent.
Mahavir Phogat as really set an example in front of every parent in this country that even girls can make their parents proud whilst making it big in sports and other fields. All they need is their support and love to back them through their journey in the same direction. While there is still some region in the countries where women are been treated as a mere housewife who is just meant to take care of the household work, the real-life example of the “ Phogat sisters” certainly put through a big ray of hope for all the girls and women’s around the country.
Also Check:- Modern Day Women Athletes, Who Became Nation’s Heartthrob
