Vinesh Phogat is an Indian athlete who belongs to a family that has produced several world-class wrestlers. Her cousins Geeta and Babita are international level wrestlers and have won several medals. Vinesh is a class wrestler who has participated in numerous tournaments and ended up with a podium finish. Let's get to know the story of this woman wrestler who has won everyone's heart.
Vinesh Phogat – Statistics
- Full Name - Vinesh Phogat
- Date of Birth - 25 August 1994 (age 26 years)
- Place of Birth - Bhiwani District, Haryana, India
- Weight - 56 kgs
- Height - 5 ft 3 in
- Sport - Freestyle Wrestling
- Coach - Mahavir Singh Phogat and Woller Akos
- Category - 48 kg / 50 kg / 53 kg / 55 kg
- Marital Status - Married
- Husband - Somvir Rathee
- Cousins - Geeta Phogat, Babita Kumari
Vinesh Phogat Story – Early Life
Vinesh is the daughter of Rajpal Phogat. He is the younger brother of wrestler and Dronacharya awardee Mahavir Singh Phogat. Vines started wrestling at a young age. Her father and uncle had to go through immense humiliations from their relatives and society.
People in Haryana didn't like when these girls participated in various wrestling championships. They got pressured by society to leave wrestling as it got considered against their morals. Vinesh and her family fought against all the odds and, now she is a World-class athlete and one of the best wrestlers India has produced.
Fun fact: - Vinesh was the first Indian wrestler to qualify for World Wrestling Championship by finishing on the top six.
Vinesh Phogat – Family and Personal Life
Vinesh married her long-time boyfriend Somvir Rathee in 2018. Rathee is also a wrestler and won two gold medals in the National Wrestling Championship. Both of them work for the Indian Railways and, they are in a relationship since 2011.
Vinesh's elder cousin, Ritu Phogat, is also a World Class wrestler who has won vari0ous medals at the international level.
Vinesh Phogat – Career Story
Vinesh has participated in more than fifty wrestling events in her ten-year-long wrestling career.
- Asian Wrestling Championship - Vinesh won a bronze medal in the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championship in the 52 kg category. She defeated Tho-Kaew Sriprapa of Thailand in the repechage round. In the 2019 season, she again won a bronze medal by defeating Qianyu Pang of China.
- Commonwealth Wrestling Championship - In the 2013 Championship, Vinesh won a silver medal in the 51 kg category. She lost to Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria in the final round and finished second in the tournament.
- Commonwealth Games - Phogat won the gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 48 kg category, held in Glasgow. She beat Yana Rattigan of England by 3-1 in the final round.
- Asian Games - Phogat won a bronze medal in the 2014 Asian Games in the 48 kg, held at Incheon, South Korea. She easily won against Narangerel Eredenesukh of Mongolia by 10-0 in the bronze medal bout. In the 2018 Asian Games, Phogat won a gold medal in the 50 kg category by beating Yuki Irie of Japan. She became the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal in this tournament.
- Asian Championship - Vinesh won a silver medal in the 2015 Asian Championship held in Doha. She lost the final bout to Yuki Irie of Japan.
- World Wrestling Championship - Vinesh won a bronze medal in the 2019 World Wrestling Championship in the 53 kg category. It was her maiden medal in this tournament and, it helped her get a direct entry in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- Poland Open Wrestling Tournament - Vinesh won her third consecutive gold medal in the Poland Open Wrestling Tournament in the 53 kg category, held in Warsaw. In the 2021 edition of this tournament, Vinesh again won gold in the same category.
- Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestler and Coaches Memorial Tournament - Phogat won a gold medal in the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestler and Coaches Memorial Tournament in the 53 kg category, held in Kyiv. She defeated Vanesa Kaladzinskay of Belarus in the final bout.
- Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Event - Phogat won the gold medal in the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Event. She defeated Diana Mary Helen Weicker of Canada by 4-0.
Vinesh Phogat Biography – Olympics
Vinesh qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics after defeating Iwona Matkowska of Poland. She lost in the quarterfinal round from Sun Yanan of China due to a knee injury. In the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Phogat became the first Indian woman writer to qualify for the tournament. She lost her quarterfinal bout by Vanesa Kaladzinskay of Belarus and failed to have a podium finish.
Vinesh Phogat - Medals
Vinesh has won over ten international medals in her overall Wrestling career. Some of the awards won by her are as follows:
- Gold - Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, 2014 (48 kg)
- Gold - Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, 2018 (50 kg)
- Gold - Asian Games, Jakarta, 2018 (50 kg)
- Gold - Asian Championships, Almaty, 2021 (51 kg)
- Silver - Youth Wrestling Championship, Johannesburg, 2013 (51 kg)
- Silver - Asian Championships, Doha, 2015 (48 kg)
- Silver - Asian Championships, New Delhi, 2017 (55 kg)
- Silver - Asian Championships, Bishkek, 2018 (50 kg)
- Bronze - Asian Championships, New Delhi, 2013 (51 kg)
- Bronze - Asian Games, Incheon, 2014 (48 kg)
- Bronze - Asian Championships, Bangkok, 2016 (53 kg)
- Bronze - Asian Championship, Xi'an, 2019 (53 kg)
- Bronze - World Championship, Nur Sultan, 2019 (53 kg)
- Bronze - Asian Championship, New Delhi, 2020 (53 kg)
Vinesh Phogat Wikipedia – Awards and Achievements
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award - 2020
- Padma Shri - 2018
- Arjuna Award - 2016
- Sports Woman of the Year - Indian Sports Honours, 2020
- Laureus World Sports Awards - Nominated, 2019
- First Indian woman wrestler to win gold - In Asian Games and Commonwealth Games
Vinesh Phogat – Fans and Following
Vinesh won her first international medal in 2009 and, since then, there's no looking back for her. Vinesh is also highly appreciated on various social media channels. She has around 270 thousand followers on Instagram and more than 300 thousand followers on Twitter. Vinesh is one of the famous athletes in India. Her popularity has helped her grab various brand endorsements.
Note: Vinesh Phogat is the official Brand Endorser for Country Delight.
Vinesh Phogat - Wrestling Queen of Haryana
Vinesh is that daughter of our country who has made her motherland proud on various events. She has broken several records and won many medals on the National and International levels. She has also represented India in the Olympics and gave a tough competition to her rivals. She is one of the most famous wrestlers in India and, her life is an inspiration for all of us.
