Vinesh Phogat (born 25 August 1994) is an Indian wrestler. She became the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian Games. She is the only Indian woman wrestler to win multiple medals at the

World Wrestling Championships The World Wrestling Championships are the Amateur Wrestling World Championships organized by United World Wrestling. The Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling tournament began in 1904, and the Men's Freestyle Wrestling tournament began in 1951. The Women's ...

. Phogat became the first Indian athlete to be nominated for

Laureus World Sports Awards The Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year. It was established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation foundin ...

in 2019. Phogat comes from a successful family of wrestlers, with her cousins and being international wrestlers and

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

medalists as well.

Personal life and family

Vinesh is the daughter of wrestler Rajpal Phogat and cousin of wrestlers Geetha and Babita.The Powerhouse Phogat Siblings and their Cousin - Deeta, Babita and Vinesh
Femina. Both her cousins have won gold in 55 kg category in

. In allowing her cousins and herself to pursue competitive wrestling, her father and uncle had to deal with immense pressure and opposition from the community in their village in Haryana. They were adjudged as going against the morals and values of their community. Her cousin,

Ritu Phogat Ritu Kumari Phogat (born 2 May 1994) is an Indian mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. She is also a female wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. Early and personal life Ritu is ...

, too is an international level wrestler and has won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. On 13 December 2018, she married her long-time boyfriend and fellow wrestler Somvir Rathee of Bakhta Khera village of Jind district,
Pre-wedding festivities begin at Vinesh's village
The Tribune.
''Hindustan Times'' who is a two times gold medalist in the national championship.दंगल गर्ल विनेश फोगाट और सोमवीर राठी आज लेंगे सात फेरे
The couple knew each other since 2011 and both work for the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

where they met and fell in love.बारात लेकर बलाली पहुंचे पहलवान सोमवीर, विनेश के साथ लेंगे 7 फेरे
Dainik Bhaskar, 14 Dec 2918. She suffered a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament tear in her knee at the Rio Olympics.

Career

In world championship 2019, she bagged her maiden world championship medal (Bronze). She bagged Gold in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018 came in the 50 kg category. In Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in Rome, the 26 years old crushed Canada's Diana Mary Helen Weicker 4–0 in the 53 kg final.

2013 Asian Wrestling Championships

2013 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships were held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India. The event took place from 18 to 22 April 2013. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Women ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

, India, Vinesh won the bronze medal in the women's freestyle 52 kg category, winning 3:0 in the bronze medal bout through the repechage round to Tho-Kaew Sriprapa of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. In the first round, Vinesh won 3:1 against Nanami Irie of Japan. She then lost 1:3 in the quarter-finals to Tatyana Amanzhol of

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

who qualified for the final thus qualifying the Indian grappler for the repechage round.

2013 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships

In an exclusive tournament held in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, Vinesh finished second and won the silver medal in the women's freestyle 51 kg category, losing in the final round to Odunayo Adekuoroye of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

2014 Commonwealth Games

Vinesh represented

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the women's freestyle 48 kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and won the gold medal. In the quarter-finals, Vinesh faced Rosemary Nweke of

and beat her 5–0. Her semi-finals opponent was

Jasmine Mian Jasmine Mian (born December 31, 1989 in Guelph, Ontario) is a politician and former Olympic wrestler from Canada. She won the bronze medal at the 48 kg event during the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and placed twelfth at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Mi ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

whom she beat 4–1. In the gold medal bout, she faced home favourite

Yana Rattigan Yana Rattigan (born Yana Stadnyk; 20 January 1987 in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Ukrainian born wrestler who competes internationally for Great Britain and England. She competed in the 2009 World Wrestling Championships finishi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and won the gold medal, beating her 3–1.

2014 Asian Games

At 2014 Asian Games in Incheon,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, Vinesh won the bronze medal in the women's freestyle 48 kg category. In the Round of 16, Vinesh faced Yongmi Pak from the

People's Republic of Korea The People's Republic of Korea (PRK) was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided ...

and beat her 3:1. Her quarter-finals opponent was Dauletbike Yakhshimuratova of

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

whom she overcame easily with a 5:0 scoreline. She lost 1:3 in the semi-finals to

Eri Tosaka is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. Wrestling career She competes in the 48 kg division and won the silver medal in the same division at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships. Her performance improved in the 2013 World Wrestling Champion ...

of Japan but qualified for the bronze medal bout and beat Narangerel Eredenesukh of

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

to win 10-0 easily after referee stopped the bout (classification points 4:0).

2015–2017

At the 2015 Asian Championships in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

, Phogat won the silver medal in her category after losing the final to Yuki Irie of Japan. In the

qualifying tournament Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for the

2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

held in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, she won in the final round beating Polish wrestler

Iwona Matkowska Iwona Nina Matkowska-Sadowska (Polish pronunciation: ; born 28 May 1982 in Żary) is a Polish freestyle wrestler. She competed in the freestyle 48 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics; after beating Patricia Bermúdez in the qualifications an ...

, and qualified for the Olympics in the process. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Vinesh reached the Quarter Finals and lost to

Sun Yanan Sun Yanan (; born 15 September 1992 in Fengcheng, Liaoning) is a Chinese freestyle wrestler. She won the silver medal in the women's 50 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Career She competes in the 51 kg division and won the sil ...

of China owing to a knee injury.

2018 Gold Coast CommonWealth Games

Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in women's 50 kg freestyle wrestling at 2018 Commonwealth Games in

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

2018 Asian Games

Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 Augus ...

and became first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in the Asian Games. Phogat beat Japan's Yuki Irie in Women's 50 kg

Freestyle Wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...

gold medal match 6–2.

2019 Asian Wrestling Championships

Vinesh won the bronze medal in

2019 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships was held in Xi'an, China. The event took place from April 23 to April 28, 2019. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Women's freestyle Participating nations ...

by defeating World Championships bronze medallist Qianyu Pang of China.

2019 Yasar Dogu International

Phogat won gold in the 2019 Yasar Dogu International by defeating Ekaterina Poleshchuk of Russia.

2019 Poland Open wrestling tournament

Vinesh Phogat bagged her third consecutive gold in women's 53 kg category after winning the Poland Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw.

2019 World Wrestling Championships

Vinesh Phogat bagged a maiden World Championship medal in the women's 53 kg category after pinning Maria Prevolaraki in the Bronze medal match. She became the first Indian wrestler to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by virtue of her top six finish. 2020 season In January 2020, Phogat won gold in Rome Ranking Series, defeating Luisa Elizabeth Valverde (4-0). 2021 season

2021 Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament

Vinesh Phogat defeated 2017 world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskay to win the gold medal in February 2021 at the tournament held in Kiev. Vinesh opened up a 4–0 lead in the 53 kg final with a throw which she initiated with a left-leg attack but Kaladzinskay made it 4–4 with her brilliant move. Vinesh took the break leading 6–4, adding to her score with a takedown, 10 seconds before the break. The Belarusian put pressure on the Indian with another four-point throw but with 25 seconds to go, Vinesh's move fetched her four more points for a 10–8 lead. She got into a position from where she pinned Kaladzinskay to ensure herself a gold. Since the coronavirus halted all competitions in 2020, it was the first competition for Vinesh in 2021, who is the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Tokyo Games.

2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event

Vinesh Phogat won her second gold medal in as many weeks with a dominant win in the event and reclaimed the top rank in the her category. Vinesh blanked Canada's Diana Mary Helen Weicker 4-0 where she scored all her points in the first period and held on to her lead in the second to ensure a top-of-the-podium finish. The Indian had entered the event as world number three but is back to world number one by jumping 14 points. The Canadian was ranked as low as 40 before the tournament but is now just behind Vinesh at number two. Vinesh did not concede a single point at this tournament, winning two of her three bouts by pinning her rivals while getting injury walkouts in the other two in the eight-woman field.

2021 Poland Open wrestling tournament

Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in the women's 53 kg event at the

2021 Poland Open The 2021 Poland Open was an amateur wrestling event held in Warsaw, Poland between 8 and 13 June 2021. It served as the last United World Wrestling Ranking Series event of the year and played a role with regard to the 2020 Summer Olympics ...

. She competed in the women's 53 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

2022

She won the gold medal in the women's 53 kg event at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

held in Birmingham, England. She won one of the bronze medals in the 53 kg event at the

2022 World Wrestling Championships The 2022 World Wrestling Championships was the 17th edition of the World Wrestling Championships of combined events and was held between 10 and 18 September 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. The UWW Bureau approved the candidature of Belgrade, Serbia ...

held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Record against opponents

International Competition

Summer Olympic Games

World Championship

Asian Games

{, Class="wikitable sortable" , - !Year !Competition !Venue !Event !Rank !Opponent !Result , - , 2018 ,

, Jakarta , 50kg , , , Win-06=02 , - , 2014 , 2014 Asian Games , Incheon , 48kg , , {{flagathlete,

, (JPN), Erdenesükhiin Narangerel, (MGL) , Lose-04=06, Win-10=0

Commonwealth Games

{, Class="wikitable sortable" , - !Year !Competition !Venue !Event !Rank !Opponent !Result , - , 2022 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, 53kg , {{Gold01 , {{flagathlete,

Samantha Stewart Samantha Leigh Stewart (born 12 October 1989) is a Canadian freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 53 kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway. She won the silver medal in the women's 53 ...

, CAN , Win 2-0 (VFA) , - , 2018 , 2018 Commonwealth Games ,

, 50kg , {{Gold01 , {{flagathlete, Jessica MacDonald, CAN , Win-13=03 , - , 2014 , 2014 Commonwealth Games ,

, 48kg , {{Gold01 , {{flagathlete,

, ENG , Win-11=08

Asian Wrestling Championship

{, Class="wikitable sortable" , - !Year !Competition !Venue !Event !Rank !Opponent !Result , - , 2021 ,

2021 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships took place from 13 April to 18 April in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was held at the same venue as the 2021 Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament. This event was the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling ...

, Almaty , 53kg , {{Gold01 , {{flagathlete, Meng Hsuan, TPE , Win , - , 2020 ,

2020 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships was held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi in India. The event took place from 18 to 23 February. China was barred from entering into the competition due to the COVID-19 pandem ...

, 53kg , {{bronze03 , {{flagathlete, Mayu Mukaida, JPN , Loss , - , 2019 ,

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...

, 53kg , {{bronze03 , {{flagathlete, Mayu Mukaida, JPN , Loss , - , 2018 ,

2018 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2018 Asian Wrestling Championships took place at the Kojomkul Sports Palace, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. The event took place from February 27 to March 4, 2018. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman W ...

, Bishkek , 50kg , {{Silver02 , {{flagathlete, Lei Chun, CHN , Loss , - , 2017 ,

2017 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships was held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi in India. The event took place from 10 to 14 May 2017. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco- ...

, 55kg , {{Silver02 , {{flagathlete, Sae Nanjo, JPN , Loss , - , 2016 ,

2016 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2016 Asian Wrestling Championships was held at the Bangkok Youth Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The event took place from February 17 to February 21, 2016. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Wome ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, 53kg , {{bronze03 , {{flagathlete, Pang Qianyu, CHN , Loss , - , 2015 ,

2015 Asian Wrestling Championships The 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships was held at the Aspire Dome Volleyball Hall in Doha, Qatar. The event took place from May 6 to May 10, 2015. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Women's frees ...

, 48kg , {{Silver02 , {{flagathlete, Yuki Irie, JPN , Loss , - , 2013 ,

, 51kg , {{bronze03 , {{flagathlete, Liu Haiping, CHN , Loss

Honors

* Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna- Highest sports honour in India, winner in 2020 . * Arjuna Award, winner in 2016.After Winning The Arjuna Award, Wrestler Vinesh Phogat Promises Nothing Less Than Gold In Tokyo 2020
''India Times'', Sept 2016 *

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, nominee in 2018 by the

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sports in India. SAI has 2 Sports Academic institution ...

.Padma Shri proposed for Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat
''Times of India'', Oct 2018.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* {{sports links {{Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardees {{Footer Asian Games Champions Wrestling Freestyle Flyweight Women {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Phogat, Vinesh Living people Indian female sport wrestlers Sportswomen from Haryana Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Wrestlers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Wrestlers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Wrestlers at the 2014 Asian Games Wrestlers at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in wrestling 1994 births Wrestlers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic wrestlers of India Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games bronze medalists for India 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Female sport wrestlers from Haryana Vinesh World Wrestling Championships medalists Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award Recipients of the Arjuna Award Asian Wrestling Championships medalists Wrestlers at the 2020 Summer Olympics