Vinesh Phogat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vinesh Phogat

Phogat in August 2022
Personal information
Born	(1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 30) Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India
Height	168 cm
Weight	50 kg
Spouse(s)	Somvir Rathee ​ (m. 2018)​
Member of Haryana Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 October 2024
Preceded by	Amarjeet Dhanda
Constituency	Julana
Personal details
Political party	Indian National Congress
Sport
Country	India
Sport	Freestyle wrestling
Event(s)	48 kg 50kg 53 kg
Coached by	Mahavir Singh Phogat Woller Akos
Retired	2024
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1
Medal record Women's Freestyle Wrestling Representing  India Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Championships - - 2 Asian Games 1 - 1 Commonwealth Games 3 - - Asian Championships 1 3 4 World Championships Bronze 2022 Belgrade 53 kg Bronze 2019 Nur-Sultan 53 kg Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta 50 kg Bronze 2014 Incheon 48 kg Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow 48 kg Gold 2018 Gold Coast 50 kg Gold 2022 Birmingham 53 kg Asian Championships Gold 2021 Almaty 53 kg Silver 2015 Doha 48 kg Silver 2017 New Delhi 55 kg Silver 2018 Bishkek 50 kg Bronze 2013 New Delhi 51 kg Bronze 2016 Bangkok 53 kg Bronze 2019 Xi'an 53 kg Bronze 2020 New Delhi 53 kg Commonwealth Championships Gold 2017 Johannesburg 55 kg Poland Open Gold 2021 Warsaw 53 kg Yasar Dogu Tournament Gold 2019 Istanbul 53 kg Dan Kolov and Nikola Petrov Tournament Silver 2019 Ruse 53 kg Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Gold 2021 Italy 53 kg Gold 2020 Italy 53 kg Youth Wrestling Championship Silver 2013 Johannesburg 51 kg
Updated on 21 August 2024.

Vinesh Phogat (born August 25, 1994) is an Indian politician and a former wrestler. She is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Haryana. She won the 2024 assembly election for the Indian National Congress party.

Before becoming a politician, Vinesh was a very successful wrestler. She won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, 2018, and 2022. She also made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games (in 2018).

Vinesh has also earned two bronze medals at the World Wrestling Championships. She competed in three different Summer Olympics: 2016, 2020, and 2024. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, she was the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final. However, she was disqualified because her weight was slightly over the limit. After this, she announced her retirement from wrestling.

In 2024, Vinesh supported the farmers' protest at the Shambhu border. Farmer leaders honored her for her support. She also became the first woman to win a Khap Panchayat Gold Medal.

Vinesh Phogat's Early Life and Family

Vinesh Phogat was born on August 25, 1994, in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India. She comes from a family of wrestlers. Her father is Rajpal Phogat.

Vinesh's sister, Priyanka Phogat, and her cousins, Geeta Phogat, Ritu Phogat, and Babita Kumari, are all wrestlers too. Her uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat, trained them. In their early years, her father and uncle faced challenges from their village community. People in the village did not approve of girls pursuing competitive wrestling.

On December 13, 2018, Vinesh married Somvir Rathee, who is also a wrestler from Jind. They both worked for the Indian Railways and had known each other since 2011.

Vinesh Phogat's Wrestling Career

Early Wrestling Achievements (2013–2016)

In 2013, Vinesh won a bronze medal at the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships in Delhi. She competed in the 51 kg category. Later that year, she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in South Africa.

At her first Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Glasgow, she won a gold medal in the 48 kg category. She defeated Yana Rattigan from England in the final match.

Vinesh also won a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. She competed in the 48 kg category. In 2015, she won a silver medal at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Overcoming Injury and Making a Comeback (2016–2020)

Vinesh Phogat receiving the Arjuna Award from President Shri Pranab Mukherjee in 2016.

Vinesh qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She competed in the 48 kg category. Sadly, she suffered a serious knee injury during her quarterfinal match and had to stop.

After her injury, Vinesh made a strong comeback. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, she won her second gold medal. She competed in the 50 kg category and won all her matches.

Later in 2018, at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, she won a gold medal in the 50 kg category. This made her the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. In 2019, she won a bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships. She also won a gold medal at the 2019 Yasar Dogu Tournament.

At the 2019 World Wrestling Championships, Vinesh won a bronze medal in the 53 kg category. This win also helped her qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. In January 2020, she won another gold medal at the Rome Ranking Series. Vinesh was also the first Indian to be nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019.

Later Career and Retirement (2021–2024)

In February 2021, Vinesh won a gold medal at a tournament in Kyiv, Ukraine. She also won gold at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, which made her the world number one in her weight class. In June 2021, she won the gold medal at the Poland Open wrestling tournament.

In August 2021, Vinesh competed in the women's 53 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She was the world number one. She won her first match but lost in the quarterfinals. After the Olympics, she faced a temporary suspension from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for some issues related to team training and uniform. She apologized for the matter.

In 2022, Vinesh won another gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She competed in the 53 kg event and won all her matches. At the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, she won her second World Championship bronze medal.

2024 Paris Olympics and Retirement

For the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Vinesh competed in the 50 kg weight class. She earned a spot for the Olympics at a qualification tournament in Kyrgyzstan. In her first match at the Paris Olympics, she defeated Yui Susaki of Japan, who was the reigning Olympic and world champion. This was a big upset win.

Vinesh continued to win her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, reaching the final. However, she was later disqualified from the final match. This happened because her weight was slightly over the limit during the weigh-in on the morning of the finals. As a result, she was placed last in the competition.

After her disqualification, Vinesh announced that she had appealed the decision. She also announced her retirement from wrestling immediately. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later dismissed her appeal.

Vinesh Phogat's Political Career

After the 2024 Olympics, Vinesh Phogat retired from sports. When she returned to India, she received a huge welcome. Many supporters encouraged her to join politics.

On September 4, 2024, Vinesh met with Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. On September 6, she officially joined the Indian National Congress party.

The Congress party chose Vinesh Phogat to be their candidate for the Julana assembly constituency in the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election. Many people believed her entry into politics would help the Congress party, especially with farmers. On October 8, 2024, Vinesh won her seat, defeating the BJP candidate by over 6,000 votes.

Vinesh Phogat's Social Activism

Supporting Farmers' Protests

On August 31, 2024, Vinesh Phogat joined the ongoing farmers' protest at the Shambhu border in Punjab. She supported their demand for a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops.

In her speech, Vinesh expressed pride in being born into a farmer's family. Farmer union leaders honored her with garlands. She stated that the government should make solving farmers' problems a top priority. Vinesh also noted that the farmers' determination to protest for so long inspired others to fight for their causes.

Images for kids

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  Vinesh Phogat receiving the Arjuna Award from President Shri Pranab Mukherjee in 2016.

Awards and Honors

Vinesh Phogat has received many awards for her achievements:

• In 2016, she was given the Arjuna Award.
• In 2018, she was nominated for the Padma Shri, a high civilian honor in India.
• In 2019, she was the first Indian to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards.
• In 2020, she received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, which is India's highest sporting honor.
• She was also nominated for the BBC Indian Sportswoman of The Year award in 2022 and 2024.
• In December 2024, Vinesh Phogat was included on the BBC's 100 Women list.

See also

• Phogat sisters