Move beyond 'Dangal': Know all the Phogat sisters who are wrestlers

No family in the world can boast of having all their daughters in the same sport and be ace champions at the same time. The Phogat family is one of a kind and this is something that makes them unique. This piece is a tribute to their dedication and service to the sport of wrestling not just over the past decade but since their birth.

Much has already been said about wrestling in Haryana and the reputation of wrestlers hailing from districts across the state always precedes them. The Phogat sisters hail from the Charkhi Dadri district. Their father Mahavir Singh Phogat was a former champion wrestler from the district of Bhiwani. He had five children named Geeta, Babita, Sangeeta, Ritu and the youngest child being a son by the name of Dushyant. Mahavir was inspired to put his daughters into wrestling training after seeing Karnam Malleswhari win a bronze at the Olympics in 2000. Of course, being in India the first opposition to this was within his community itself that saw girls as individuals who could not step out of the house. This is what makes their journey so special. They have overcome all odds to come out on top; not 1 but 6 of them have done their father, state, and country proud year after year.

Geeta Phogat

The eldest of the 5 daughters, she was born on 15th December 1988. Her first major accolade was at the Commonwealth Championships in 2009 when she won a gold. Thereafter she won a gold at the Commonwealth games in 2010 and had a string of successes in subsequent years with podium finishes at Asian Championships and World Championships where she won a bronze medal. She is married to fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar.

Babita Kumari

The second sister in the family, she was born on 20th November 1989. Like her elder sister, her first success came in the 2009 Commonwealth Championship when she won gold in the freestyle 51kg category. A majority of her success has come in the Commonwealth championships with her having won golds and silvers across various categories. In the 2012 World Championships, she won a bronze medal in the women's freestyle 51 kg category.

Priyanka Phogat

Priyanka is the daughter of Mahavir Phogat's brother who sadly passed away a few years after his daughter was born. She was born on 12th May 1993. Aged just 27, she still has a crucial part of her career left but has still done relatively well in a short time. Her only major accolade was the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2016 when she won a silver. This was in the 55kg category when she lost to Mongolia's Davaasukhiin Otgontsetseg in the finals.

Ritu Phogat

The third in line of the Phogat family. She was born on 2nd May 1994 and has focused much of her career on wrestling since dropping out of school after class 10. She has won a gold at the Commonwealth Championships in 2016, silver at the world under 23 championships and bronze at the Asian Championships. Incidentally, she switched over to Mixed Martial Arts in 2019 and made her debut at the ONE Championship. Her MMA record till date is 4 wins with 3 knockouts and 1 by a final decision.

Vinesh Phogat

The second niece of Mahavir Phogat has had her fair share of success as well at the age of just 26. Her achievements include two commonwealth games gold medals, one Asian Games Gold Medal, one World wrestling championship bronze and several podium finishes at the Asian Wrestling Championships. However, her biggest sporting accolade was her nomination for the Laureus Sports Award back in February 2019. Truly an exemplary feat for the current world no 1. who has also competed in the 48kg, 50kg and 53kg categories over the course of her career.

Sangeeta Phogat

The youngest of all the sisters was born on 5th March 1998. It was her destiny to follow in her sisters path and take up wrestling as well where she currently competes in the 59kg category. She till has a long way to go in her career and has already won a silver at the National Championships and several minor international championships as well. Incidentally, she is married to wrestler Bajrang Punia.