Geeta Phogat is a famous Indian wrestler who is famous for being the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, held in New Delhi. She was also the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics (2012).
Wiki/Biography
Geeta Phogat was born as ‘Geeta Kumari Phogat’ on Thursday, 15 December 1988 (age 30 years; as on 2018) in Village Balali Haryana. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
Geeta Phogat As a Child
He attended Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Haryana. He started wrestling under the guidance of his father. His village lacked proper facilities, so, his father enrolled him and his younger sister Babita at the Sports Authority of India in Sonipat.
Physical appearance
Height: 5′ 3½”
Weight (approx): 65 kg
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Family, Caste & Husband
Geeta Phogat was born into a Jat Family. His father, Mahavir Singh Phogat is a former Olympic wrestler and senior coach. He is also a recipient of the Dronacharya Award. His mother, Shobha Kaur, is a housewife.
Geeta Phogat with her Family
He has a younger brother named Dushyant (wrestler) and three younger sisters named Babita Kumari (wrestler), Sangeeta Phogat (wrestler), and Ritu Phogat (wrestler).
Geeta Phogat with her Siblings
She married Indian wrestler Pawan Kumar on 20 November 2016.
Geeta Phogat And Pawan Kumar
Career
wrestling
Category: 62 kg freestyle
Coach/Mentor: Mahavir Singh Phogat
Geeta Phogat made her international wrestling debut in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships held in Jalandhar, Punjab in 2009 and won the gold medal. Defeated Emily Bensted from Australia with a score of 1-0, 7-0; she won India’s first gold medal in women’s wrestling in the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in 2010.
After that, he went on to win various wrestling tournaments including the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games, and several national and international championships. She was also the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics.
Old Photo of Geeta Phogat
Controversy
- Following the release of the 2016 film “Dangal”, which is based on the story of the Phogat Family, PR Sondhi (coach of the Phogat brothers in the 2010 Commonwealth Games), National Sports Academy, criticized the film and demanded an apology from Aamir Khan for miscasting the character of the coach in the film .
- In 2016, the Phogat Sisters- Geeta and Babita were disqualified from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Reportedly, both of them failed in the repechage due to ‘injury default’ during the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. United World Wrestling (UWW) representatives were not informed of their injuries, disqualifying them from the tournament.
- In 2018, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), banned the Phogat Sisters from attending the Asian Games, held in Jakarta. Earlier, WFI had sent show cause notices to the wrestlers who did not attend the training camps held in Lucknow and Sonepat from May 10 to 25, 2018. However, after Geeta gave a reasonable explanation, she was allowed to attend the function. tournament.
Awards & Achievements
- Arjuna Award in 2012
Geeta Phogat receives Arjuna Award
World Wrestling Championships
- Bronze (55 kg) at 2012 Strathcona County
Commonwealth Games
- Gold (55 kg) in 2010 Delhi
Commonwealth Wrestling Championships
- Gold (55 kg) in 2009 Jalandhar
- Gold (55 kg) in 2011 Melbourne
- Silver (59 kg) in 2013 Johannesburg
Asian Wrestling Championship
- Bronze (55 kg) in 2012 Gumi
- Bronze (58 kg) in 2015 Goha
Other Achievements
- FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament, 2012- Gold
- Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament, 2013 – Silver
- Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament, 2014 – Bronze
Geeta Phogat with her medal
Favorite Things
- Fashion Brands: Marks & Spencer, Zara, H&M
- Fashion Designer: Ritu Kumar
- Sports: Wrestling, Kabaddi
- Travel Destination: Mauritius
Facts
- She likes dressing up and shopping.
- Wrestling runs in the Phogat family bloodline. as Geeta’s grandfather, Man Singh is a wrestler, her father, Mahavir is a wrestler, her sisters Babita, Sangeeta, and Ritu are wrestlers, and her brother Dushyant is also a wrestler. Even her cousins, Priyanka and Vinesh Phogat, who were brought up by Geeta’s father after her uncle’s death, are also professional wrestlers.
Geeta Phogat with her siblings and cousins
- Mahavir was inspired to teach his daughter wrestling after famous weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics. She was also influenced by her coach Chandgi Ram, who had trained her daughter in wrestling. Speaking about it, Mahavir said-
Everyone said I was embarrassing our village by training my daughter, but I thought, if a woman can be the Prime Minister of a country, why can’t she be a wrestler?”
- During her teenage years, she and her sister Babita were criticized and ridiculed by the villagers because the two girls did not obey the customs of the community. Recalling her past, Geeta says-
We were two teenage girls who, according to custom, should have been clad in baggy clothes to disguise our curves but instead we were running around wheat fields in shorts and lycra tops and cropped hair. Everyone was just waiting for us to make a mistake. They thought we would start seeing men or do something compromising. They almost want us to do something to embarrass our parents so they can be proven right.”
- Her father left his job to concentrate on Geeta and her younger sister Babita’s training for the Commonwealth Games.
- During his childhood, his father used to wake him and his younger sister Babita at 3:30 in the morning and train them in the Akhada for 3-4 hours. They had to go to school during the day, and when they came home, they would be trained again for 3-4 hours in the evening. Since there were no female wrestlers, his father would make them wrestle with boys. According to Geeta, those 5-6 years were the most difficult part of their lives.
Phogat Sisters with their father
- Her father used to take Geeta and Babita to practice in muddy arenas, local wrestling matches and had also built a gymnasium with high-tech gym equipment for their training.
- Geeta and Pawan Kumar’s love story developed through a Facebook conversation. Geeta and Pawan attended a camp for the Olympics 2012. Pawan messaged Geeta on facebook and told her that he is her big fan. After a few months, they met in the US. Talking about it, he said-
Then he suddenly messaged saying that he misses me. I told him that he was nice to say hello, but why did he miss me? He barely recognized me.”
After some time, he blocked Pawan from Facebook; because he had stopped talking to her. So, Pawan started contacting her through a fake Facebook ID, and when Pawan revealed her identity, she blocked him again. At that time, she thought Pawan was not serious. It was after they coincidentally had knee surgery and bumped into each other at the same hospital. There they had a long conversation. He begins to take her seriously, and the two eventually agree to marry.
Geeta Phogat with her husband
- The movie “Dangal (2016)” is a biopic on the life of Geeta and her family. Aamir Khan plays his father, Mahavir and Fatima Sana Shaikh portrays his character in the film.
- Geeta met Aamir Khan for the first time in 2014 on Aamir’s Show, “Satyamev Jayate,” where she interviewed Phogat’s sister.
Phogat Sisters in Satyamev Jayate
- In October 2016, he was appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana.
Geeta Phogat in her police uniform
- Geeta likes the gym and likes to exercise.
- In 2017, she participated in Color TV’s reality show “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season-8).”
Geeta Phogal in Fear Factor- Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season-8)
- She had painted her husband’s name on her left hand.
Geeta Phogat Shows Her Tattoo
- Geeta loves animals, and she has a pet dog named Sheru, and a cat named Bella.
Geeta Phogat with her pet dog Sheru
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
