Geeta Phogat is a famous Indian wrestler who is famous for becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. She is also the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics (2012).
Wiki/Biography
Geeta Phogat was born on Thursday, December 15, 1988 as “Geeta Kumari Phogat” (age 35; as of 2023) in Ballari village, Haryana. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
Gita Fugat as a child
She studied at Mahesh Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana. She started wrestling under the guidance of her father. Her village lacked proper facilities, so her father sent her and her sister Babita to the Sports Authority of India center in Sonipat.
appearance
Height: 5′3½”
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family, caste and husband
Geeta Phogat was born in a Jat family. Her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, is a former wrestler and senior Olympic coach. He is also a recipient of the Dronacharya Award. Her mother Shobha Kaur is a housewife.
Gita Fugate and her family
She has a brother Dushyant (wrestler) and three sisters Babita Kumari (wrestler), Sangeeta Phogat (wrestler) and Ritu Phogat (wrestler).
Gita Fugate and her siblings
She married Indian wrestler Pawan Kumar on November 20, 2016.
Geeta Phogat and Pawan Kumar
Profession
wrestling
Category: 62kg freestyle
Coach/Mentor: Mahavir Singh Phogat
In 2009, Geeta Phogat made her international wrestling debut at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Jalandhar, Punjab, where she won a gold medal. Defeated Australia’s Emily Bensted 1-0, 7-0; she won India’s first women’s wrestling gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
She has since gone on to win various wrestling championships including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and several national and international competitions. She is also the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics.
An old photo of Gita Fugate
dispute
- After the release of Dangal in 2016, a film based on the Phogat family story, National Institute of Sports PR Sondhi (coach of the Phogat sisters at the 2010 Commonwealth Games) criticized the film and demanded an apology from Aamir Khan in the film Mischaracterizing the role of the coach.
- In 2016, the Fugate sisters – Gita and Babita – were disqualified from the 2016 Rio Olympics. According to reports, the pair gave up on the revival due to “injury absences” during the Olympic qualifying tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. United World Wrestling (UWW) representatives were not informed of their injuries, which resulted in their disqualification.
- In 2018, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) banned the Fugate sisters from participating in the Asian Games in Jakarta. Earlier, WFI had issued no-show notices to wrestlers who did not attend training camps held in Lucknow and Sonepat from May 10 to 25, 2018. However, after Geeta gave a reasonable explanation, she was allowed to participate in the training camp. Contest.
Awards and Achievements
- Arjuna Award 2012
Geeta Phogat wins Arjuna Award
world wrestling championship
- 2012 Strathcona County Bronze Medal (55kg)
Commonwealth Games
- 2010 Delhi Gold Medal (55kg)
Commonwealth Wrestling Championship
- 2009 Jalandhar Gold Medal (55kg)
- 2011 Melbourne Gold Medal (55kg)
- 2013 Johannesburg Silver Medal (59kg)
Asian Wrestling Championship
- 2012 Gumi Bronze Medal (55kg)
- 2015 Goha Bronze Medal (58kg)
Other achievements
- 2012 FILA Asian Olympic Qualifications-Gold Medal
- Dave Schultz Memorial Championship, 2013 – Silver Medal
- Dave Schultz Memorial Championship, 2014 – Bronze Medal
Gita Fugate and her medal
favorite thing
- Fashion brands: Marks & Spencer, Zara, H&M
- Fashion Designer: Ritu Kumar
- Sports: Wrestling, Kabaddi
- Travel destination: Mauritius
fact
- She enjoys dressing up and shopping.
- Wrestling runs in the Phogat family’s bloodline; Geeta’s grandfather, Man Singh, was a wrestler, her father Mahavir was a wrestler, and her sisters Babita, Sangeeta and Rui Picture is a wrestler and her brother Dushyant is also a wrestler. Even her cousins Priyanka and Vinesh Phogat (who was raised by Geeta’s father after her uncle’s death) are professional wrestlers.
Gita Fugate with her siblings and cousins
- Mahavir was inspired to teach his daughters wrestling after famous weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics. He was also influenced by coach Changji Ram, who trained his daughters in wrestling. Talking about this, Mahavir said –
Everyone said that I brought shame to our village by training my daughters, 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 the targets of criticism and ridicule from the villagers for not following social conventions. Recalling her past, Geeta said –
We were two teenage girls who by convention were supposed to wear baggy clothes to cover up our curves, but instead we were running around the wheat fields in shorts, lycra tops and short hair. Everyone is waiting for us to make a mistake. They think we’ll start dating boys or do something compromising. They almost want us to do things to shame our parents so they can prove they are right. “
- Her father quit his job to focus on Geeta and her sister Babita training for the Commonwealth Games.
- During her childhood, her father used to wake her and her sister Babita at 3:30 in the morning and train them in Akhada for 3-4 hours. They have to go to school during the day and have to undergo 3-4 hours of training when they come back at night. Since there were no female wrestlers, her father would have them wrestle against the boys. According to Geeta, those five or six years were the most difficult period of their lives.
The Fugate sisters and their father
- Her father used to take Geeta and Babita to muddy arenas, local wrestling tournaments and even built a gym for them to train with high-tech fitness equipment.
- Geeta and Pawan Kumar’s love story developed through Facebook conversations. Geeta and Pawan participated in the 2012 Olympic training camp. Pawan messaged Geeta on Facebook and told her that he was her biggest fan. A few months later, they met in the United States. Talking about this, she said –
Then he suddenly texted me saying he missed me. I told him he was happy to say hello, but why would he miss me? He barely recognizes me. “
After some time, she blocked Pawan on Facebook; he stopped talking to her. So, Pawan started contacting her through a fake Facebook ID and when Pawan revealed his identity, she blocked him. At that time, she thought Pawan was not serious. That was after they coincidentally underwent knee surgery and met at the same hospital. There they had a long talk. She begins to take him seriously and they eventually agree to get married.
Gita Fugate and her husband
- The film Baba (2016) is a biopic about the life of Geeta and her family. Aamir Khan plays her father Mahavir in the film, while Fatima Sana Shaikh essays her role.
- Geeta first met Aamir Khan in 2014 when he interviewed the Phogat sisters on Aamir’s show Satyaev Jayate.
Phogat sisters of Satyamev Jayat
- In October 2016, she was appointed as Deputy Inspector General of Police, Haryana.
Geeta Phogat in police uniform
- Geeta loves fitness and exercises.
- In 2017, she participated in the Colors TV reality show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season 8).
Geeta Phogal on Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season 8)
- She has her husband’s name tattooed on her left hand.
Geeta Phogat shows off her tattoos
- Geeta loves animals and has a pet dog named Sheru and a cat named Bella.
Geeta Phogat and her pet dog Sheru
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education