Geeta Phogat (born 15 December 1988)[ is a freestyle wrestler who won India's first-ever gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. She was also the first Indian female wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic Games.]
Personal life and family
Geeta Phogat was born in Balali village of Charkhi Dadri district, Haryana.[ Her father Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler himself and a Dronacharya Award recipient, is also her coach.]
Her sister Babita Kumari and cousin Vinesh Phogat are also Commonwealth Games gold medalists.[ Meet the medal-winning Phogat sisters | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis. Dnaindia.com (10 August 2014). Retrieved on 21 November 2016.][ "But hey, this is family...", 31 July 2010, Times of India, retrieved 11 October 2013] Both won gold medals in their respective categories in 2014 edition of Commonwealth Games. Another younger sister of Geeta Phogat, Ritu Phogat, too is an international level wrestler and has won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. Her youngest sister, Sangita Phogat is also a wrestler.
She married fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar on 20 November 2016.
Phogat was a contestant in Khatron Ke Khiladi 8, but was eliminated, securing ninth position.
Career
2009 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship
Phogat won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship held in Jalandhar, Punjab between 19 and 21 December 2009.
2010 Commonwealth Games
She won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling at the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, beating Emily Bensted from Australia in the gold medal match with a score of 1–0, 7–0.
2012 Summer Olympics
Phogat won a gold medal in the Wrestling FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament that concluded at Almaty, Kazakhstan in April 2012.
Phogat was beaten in her opening fight by Canadian Tonya Verbeek (1–3).
2012 World Wrestling Championships
In the 2012 World Wrestling Championships held in Canada, Phogat won the bronze medal.
In the first round, Phogat faced Maria Gurova of Russia, beating her 3:1. The second round brought a 5:0 loss for Phogat against Saori Yoshida of Japan. With the Japanese grappler making the finals, Phogat contested in the repechage round, first against Akziya Dautbayeva of Kazakhstan whom she beat 3:1 and then winning the bronze medal bout 3:0 against Natalya Sinishin of Ukraine.
2012 Asian Wrestling Championships
In the first round of the 2012 Asian Wrestling Championships, Phogat lost to her opponent Kanako Murata in a 5:0 scoreline. With the Japanese grappler entering the finals, Phogat was able to contest in the bronze medal round and won the bronze medal in the 55 kg beating Sumiya Erdenechimeg from Mongolia 3:1.
2013 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships
At the tournament held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Phogat finished second and won the silver medal in the women's freestyle 59 kg category after losing the final bout to Aminat Adeniyi of Nigeria.
2015 Asian Wrestling Championships
At the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha, Phogat finished third, winning the bronze medal in the freestyle 58 kg category along with Aiym Abdildina of Kazakhstan.
Popular culture
Aamir Khan's film Dangal is loosely based on Geeta Phogat and her sisters lives.[ Once a judoka, Pooja Dhanda wants to win laurels in wrestling, Times of India, 25 February 2018.]
Other titles
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Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament, 2013 – Silver
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Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament, 2014 – Bronze
Television
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| 2017 | Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 | Contestant
9th Place | |
| 2025 | Pati Patni Aur Panga | Contestant | |
External links
