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Aamir Khan’s next release ‘Dangal’ has brought into the spotlight the most-revered wrestling families in the country – the Phogats. The movie that is slated to be released in December 2016, focuses on the lives of Mahavir and his daughters.
While Geeta, Babita, Ritu and Sangita (in order of birth) are Mahavir Phogat’s daughters and Dushyant – his youngest son, he adopted his brother’s daughters Vinesh and Priyanka after his death. Geeta and Babita are world-renowned for their wrestling feats but the younger two are still crawling their way up the success ladder.
Here’s a listicle that will help you know Mahavirji’s third daughter, Ritu Phogat better.
Ritu, the Wrestler
Born on 2 May 1994, Ritu Phogat competes in the 48kg category, same as her sister Vinesh Phogat.
Gold Medallist, Yet Again
For the second time in a row, Ritu Phogat won the gold in the women’s 48kg category at the senior National Wrestling championship in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh on 23 October. She beat UP’s Priyanka Singh in the final, while her long-time rival Nirmala Singh from Haryana once again stood third in the 48kg category.
In her first two nationals, Ritu had lost to Niramala in the semi-finals both times. In her third nationals last year, however, Ritu managed to clinch the gold after beating Nirmala 4-4 on the basis of most takedowns.
International Accolades
The 22-year-old has also won silver and bronze at the World Juniors and a gold at the Junior Asian Championships.
Watch Ritu’s 44 kg final bout against Japan’s Haruko Uchijo at the 2014 FILA Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. After being up 4-0, she lost the gold in the last minute.
Winning Team in Pro Wrestling League
Ritu was part of team Revanta Mumbai Garuda in the first and only edition of the Pro Wrestling League in 2015. The league was an initiative started by the ProSportify and Wrestling Federation of India. However, earlier this year, news reports said that the league was being scrapped after the federation parted ways over delay in payment of salaries to the grapplers.
In the 2015 edition, however, Ritu contributed four points to her team’s 67-point win against the Haryana Hammers.
She’s a Dangal Fan!
Quite active on social media, Ritu seems very excited about Aamir Khan’s next ‘Dangal’, which is based on her father and family. When the trailer was released, Ritu tweeted that she had ‘goosebumps’.