Chak De Geeta

In a state where female foeticide has always been in the headlines, it was more than just an act of bravery for Mahavir Singh to raise his five daughters and train them in a sport which is otherwise dominated by men. Wrestling was not new to Mahavir, however, it raised more than just eyebrows when he decided to train all his daughters to grapple. What came out of his constant endeavour was Geeta Phogat, the first woman to represent India in Wrestling at the Olympics. While Geeta made it to London after winning the Asian Qualifying tournament in Astant, Kazakhastan in the 55kg weight category, her sister Babita (51 kg) could not make the final cut. 

From training at a makeshift village akhara in Balali, Haryana to the lovely indoor wrestling hall at Colorado Springs, USA, the journey has been really long and tiring, says Geeta, as she prepares herself along with 4 other Indians (men) who have qualified for London 2012. She took up wrestling at a tender age of 12 under the able guidance of his father, who was a state level wrestler himself and was soon seen beating boys of the same age group. In a state where honour killing is rampant, boys of her age group started avoiding wrestling with Geeta with a fear of losing to a girl. People in her village and nearby areas were witnessing something for the first time. "Now they take pride and in their achievements and have accepted it well" says a proud father, Mahavir SIngh.

Her hard work and patience paid off in 2003, 2004 and 2005 when she won three consecutive gold medals in the Asian Cadet Championships. She went on to win Asian Junior Championship in 2007 and subsequently Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 2009. She hogged the nation’s limelight in 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games, winning gold. She still gets Goosebumps describing her final.  Her stint at Mittal Champion Trust helped her with training support, medicine, equipments, fitness, nutrition, mental conditioning and coaching. She is an exceptionally talented grappler, believes her coach, O P Yadav. 

From Colorado Springs, she would be heading to Belarus for another training stint and then her final destination – London. “I need to work on my speed” winks the 23 year old. Though there is hardly any time now, she prepares to give her best.

Cricket World Cup Champions – are you listening?

:- Rakesh S Ranbir