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NEW DELHI: At one point of time, Geeta Phogat was the poster girl of Indian women’s wrestling. The 31-year-old still has many firsts to her name. She is the first woman to win a wrestling gold at the Commonwealth Games (in 2010) for India. She is the first Indian female grappler to qualify for the Olympic Games (in 2012). She also has a World Championships (2012) bronze to her credit.
Till the time her younger sister Babita Phogat and cousin Vinesh Phogat hadn’t started representing India at the international level, Geeta’s name was synonymous with Indian women’s wrestling.
But things started going downhill for Geeta – in terms of her wrestling career – just before the 2016 Olympics. Back then, she was Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) first choice for the Rio Games in the new 58kg category. During the first Olympic qualification tournament, Geeta was slated to fight the repechage bout.
However, she pulled out at the last minute citing injury concerns. This move vexed the WFI so much that it imposed a temporary ban on Geeta. Due to the ban, Sakshi Malik was given a chance by WFI to participate in the second and final qualification tournament. Sakshi secured the quota and went to Rio, where she clinched bronze to become India’s first woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal.
While Sakshi became the new star, Geeta was slowly forgotten. In 2018, Geeta, who got married in November 2016, took a break from the sport to give time to her family. Last year in December, she gave birth to a baby boy – Arjun. At the start of this year, Geeta’s chances of returning to the mat looked minimal. But with the deferment of 2020 Olympics due to Covid-19, Geeta has decided to give it another shot .
“I had never taken any decision to quit wrestling. The Olympics have been postponed so I have another opportunity, I have another year,” Geeta stated. “If all goes well, I will vie for the spot in the 62kg weight category for the Tokyo Olympics.”
With Geeta planning to throw the hat in fray for the 62kg spot, the competition for the category has intensified. Besides her, Sakshi Malik and cadet world champion Sonam Malik, who incidentally beat Sakshi twice in separate bouts earlier this year, are also in contention for a spot in the Indian team that flies to Tokyo next year.
“I will be competition ready in the next two to three months. It is good as I can also try to make the team for the world championships. It will be up to WFI who they send for the tournament,” Geeta expressed.
Last month, she stepped on the mat after nearly two years. It was an uncanny moment for her, having been away from wrestling for so long. “I took my characteristic stance and it felt surreal. I missed wrestling tremendously,” she said.
Till the time her younger sister Babita Phogat and cousin Vinesh Phogat hadn’t started representing India at the international level, Geeta’s name was synonymous with Indian women’s wrestling.
But things started going downhill for Geeta – in terms of her wrestling career – just before the 2016 Olympics. Back then, she was Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) first choice for the Rio Games in the new 58kg category. During the first Olympic qualification tournament, Geeta was slated to fight the repechage bout.
However, she pulled out at the last minute citing injury concerns. This move vexed the WFI so much that it imposed a temporary ban on Geeta. Due to the ban, Sakshi Malik was given a chance by WFI to participate in the second and final qualification tournament. Sakshi secured the quota and went to Rio, where she clinched bronze to become India’s first woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal.
While Sakshi became the new star, Geeta was slowly forgotten. In 2018, Geeta, who got married in November 2016, took a break from the sport to give time to her family. Last year in December, she gave birth to a baby boy – Arjun. At the start of this year, Geeta’s chances of returning to the mat looked minimal. But with the deferment of 2020 Olympics due to Covid-19, Geeta has decided to give it another shot .
“I had never taken any decision to quit wrestling. The Olympics have been postponed so I have another opportunity, I have another year,” Geeta stated. “If all goes well, I will vie for the spot in the 62kg weight category for the Tokyo Olympics.”
With Geeta planning to throw the hat in fray for the 62kg spot, the competition for the category has intensified. Besides her, Sakshi Malik and cadet world champion Sonam Malik, who incidentally beat Sakshi twice in separate bouts earlier this year, are also in contention for a spot in the Indian team that flies to Tokyo next year.
“I will be competition ready in the next two to three months. It is good as I can also try to make the team for the world championships. It will be up to WFI who they send for the tournament,” Geeta expressed.
Last month, she stepped on the mat after nearly two years. It was an uncanny moment for her, having been away from wrestling for so long. “I took my characteristic stance and it felt surreal. I missed wrestling tremendously,” she said.
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