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| Human Interest | |
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General Interest | |
| Awards and honours | In 2012 she received the Arjuna Award from the Indian government. (sportscelebfamily.com, 15 Mar 2017) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | India |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Haryana Police: India |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Travel, running. (sportscelebfamily.com, 15 Mar 2017) |
| Injuries | In 2016/17 she required surgery on a shoulder injury. (rediff.com, 20 May 2017) In 2012 she tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in her knee at a training camp and required surgery. (bfyblogs.com, 06 Apr 2017) |
| Famous relatives | Her husband Pawan Kumar represented India in wrestling at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea. Her father Mahavir Singh Phogat was an amateur wrestler and is also a recipient of Dronacharya Award, an honour given to coaches for their outstanding contributions in sports. Her sisters Babita, Ritu, Sangeeta and Priyanka and her cousin Vinesh have all represented India in wrestling at international level. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 29 Jan 2017; sportscelebfamily.com, 15 Mar 2017; huffingtonpost.in, 18 Aug 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | Her father Mahavir Singh Phogat was a wrestler and motivated her to take up the sport. "He was more excited than us. He had the required knowledge to train and groom us. We had the passion too. It was my father's passion actually. I had never wished to become a wrestler. I was 12 when my father initiated me into this sport. Gradually, I liked it and then it became a passion." |
General Interest | |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and to open a wrestling academy in India for girls. (shethepeople.tv, 29 Jul 2017; indiatoday.in, 28 Dec 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Irbek Farniev [national], RUS; Kuldeep Malik [national], IND |
| Training Regime | Her sessions usually begin with jogging, followed by stretching and exercises. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began wrestling at age 12 in Haryana, India. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Police Officer |
| Languages | English, Hindi |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Sports make a person's life disciplined. It is a very cumbersome job, so one needs a lot of hard work to reach a desired stage. Discipline and hard work are the qualities that will take you higher in any and every field." (shethepeople.tv, 29 Jul 2017) |
| Other information | EARLY DAYS Her father faced opposition from other people in the family's village when he encouraged Geeta and her sisters to take up wrestling. "We had to wrestle against boys because there were no girls to train with. There was a lot of physical work, push ups, endurance training. We had to match the strength of the boys. There was no respite, no excuse, no running away from the hard work. We had our hair cut and wore shorts during training. People would tell me, 'Who will marry you? Your ears will be disfigured from wrestling. It is a man's sport'. But I looked at my father and did not back out. I had to wrestle for him. I had to win for him." (thehindu.com, 22 Sep 2016) BIOPIC In December 2016 the Bollywood movie 'Dangal' was released, telling the life story of her entire family. "It is about my father and his hard work, about us, the sisters excelling in wrestling. I am sure the film will inspire young girls because my father has given his all to groom us." (thehindu.com, 22 Sep 2016) NATIONAL FIRSTS She became the first female wrestler representing India to win gold at the Commonwealth Games by claiming victory in the 55kg category at the 2010 Games in Glasgow, Scotland. She was also the first female Indian wrestler to compete at the Olympic Games, debuting at the 2012 Games in London. (SportsDeskOnline, 27 Mar 2018; phogatsisters.com, 30 Jan 2017; indianexpress.com, 25 Dec 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Husband Pawan Kumar |