Geeta PHOGAT

India

Lotta

Partecipazioni1

Prima partecipazioneLondra 2012

Anno di Nascita1988

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Biografia

The first Indian woman to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games, Geeta Phogat is a trailblazer and an icon among wrestlers in India.

She also holds a special place in the country’s sporting history as the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify and compete at the Olympics, achieving the milestone at the London 2012 Games.

Born on December 15, 1988, in Balali, Haryana, Geeta Phogat hails from a family synonymous with Indian wrestling. Trained under the watchful eye of her father and coach, Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler, Geeta began wrestling at a young age, defying societal norms in a region where women were rarely encouraged to pursue sports.

Geeta’s younger sisters, Babita, Ritu and Sangeeta, have all represented India on the international stage, while her cousin Vinesh Phogat narrowly missed a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Geeta’s first major international success came at the 2009 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Punjab, where she clinched gold. She rose rapidly through the ranks with medals in domestic and international competitions.

Her career-defining moment came a year later at the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi. Competing in the women’s 55kg, Geeta Phogat defeated Emily Bensted of Australia in the final to win India’s first-ever gold medal in women's wrestling at the Commonwealth Games.

Her success on the mat continued in the following years. In 2012, Geeta Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics after winning the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Representing India at the London 2012 Games, Geeta fell to three-time Olympic medallist Tonya Verbeek in the round of 16 of the women’s 55kg event and then lost in the repechage round in the chase for bronze.

Later that year, Geeta earned her maiden World Wrestling Championships medal, a bronze in the 55kg category. Babita Phogat also secured a bronze in the 51kg event, making it a memorable outing for the Phogat family as they delivered India’s only women’s medals at the 2012 World Championships.

Geeta’s contributions to Indian sports were recognised with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2012.

A ligament tear on her right knee necessitated surgery for Geeta Phogat in early 2014 and it kept her out of action for more than a year. Geeta's career was then beset by injuries, which did not allow her to compete regularly.

A two-time Asian Championships bronze medallist (2012 and 2015), Geeta’s success helped elevate Indian wrestling on the global stage.

Her inspiring journey was immortalised in the 2016 Bollywood blockbuster Dangal. Featuring Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan as their father and coach, the film depicted their struggles and success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the decade.

While injuries prevented Geeta from qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics, she continued to shine, winning gold at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships. Her final appearance at a United World Wrestling (UWW) event was at the 2018 Yasar Dogu Ranking Series, where she finished third.

Geeta Phogat, who married fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar in 2016, embraced motherhood in 2019, giving birth to her son Arjun.

She viewed the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as a chance to make a comeback but ultimately fell short of qualifying for her second Games.

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