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Wrestling

Who is Vinesh Phogat? Age, Records, Biography, Medals, Earnings, Olympics performance

Vinesh Phogat, who comes from a family of wrestlers, is regarded as one of the favourites to win a medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Let us have a look at her life and career.

Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat
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Vinesh Phogat

By

Keyur Jain

Updated: 15 July 2021 9:54 AM GMT

Vinesh Phogat, who comes from one of India's most distinguished wrestling families, has followed the footsteps of her cousins Geeta and Babita Phogat to become a wrestler, her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat introduced her to this sport at a young age.

Vinesh is young and emerging as one of the best wrestlers in India at this point. This year just after winning gold in the Poland Open, Vinesh is aiming towards a medal in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

How old is Vinesh Phogat?

Vinesh was born on August 24, 1994, and is 26 years old. She was raised in Balali, a village in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri district. Vinesh began wrestling at a young age, while her cousin Geeta was establishing herself on the national stage.

Vinesh has struggled with societal stereotypes of wrestling as a male-dominated sport. Vinesh's uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat, assisted and trained her to excel in her junior career.

What are Vinesh Phogat's achievements?


Following several medals in her junior career, Phogat went on to win her first major international gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Vinesh won a bronze medal in the women's freestyle 48 kg category at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, the same year.

Vinesh made a comeback after failing to win a medal in the 2016 Olympics, winning gold medals in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2018. In 2019, she decided to jump up to the 53 Kg category. Vinesh won the bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships in 2019.

In 2019, Vinesh Phogat won her first World Championship medal in the women's 53 kg weight class. By finishing in the top six, she secured her position in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Vinesh won gold at the Asian Championship 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Government of India honoured Vinesh with the Arjuna Award in 2016 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2020. The Sports Authority of India also nominated her for the Padma Shri Award in 2018.

Earnings

Vinesh Phogat earns Rs. 50,000 each month as part of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports flagship programme, The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Performance in Olympics

Vinesh qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, but after reaching the quarterfinals, she lost to China's Sun Yanan due to her knee injury.

Vinesh is aiming for the gold in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after a spectacular season with three gold medals in a row in 2021.

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