Geeta Phogat: Top five achievements of the seasoned grappler

The eldest daughter of the Phogat family has added many feathers to her cap.

Geeta Phogat was born on 15th December 1988. She is a female Indian wrestler who hails from Haryana, the land of wrestlers. She is coached by her father, the legendary Mahavir Singh Phogat. Her father trained her from a tender age. Due to the efforts of the father-daughter duo, she is now a sensation in the world of wrestling.

Here are the top five achievements of Geeta Phogat:

5. DSP in the Haryana Police

The champion wrestler also happens to be a DSP in the Haryana Police Department. This is perhaps the least well-known truth about the grappler.

At a meeting of Haryana's state cabinet, a request from the home department was accepted. This cited Geeta's accomplishments and the fact that she is an internationally renowned wrestler. As a result, this led to her appointment as the DSP.

4. Arjuna Award Recipient

Geeta Phogat received the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2012. This was because of her outstanding achievements in wrestling and how she made the nation proud.

Her terrific feat at the Olympics coupled with her exploits in other world events made India proud. As a result, she received the top prize from President Pratibha Patil.

3. Maiden Commonwealth Games gold

Geeta is the first freestyle wrestler in India's history to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games. This happened in New Delhi in 2010 in the 55-kg category. She defeated Emily Bensted of Australia with a gigantic score of 1-0 to 7-0. The point difference resulted from a five-point finish by Geeta towards the finish of the match.

2. First Woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics

Geeta Phogat qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. As a result, she became the first Indian female wrestler to get a berth at the mega event. Immediately following the win, Geeta went all out, winning Gold at the FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in April 2012.

Nothing comes easily for Geeta; she had put her heart and soul into her training at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala, where she worked with chief coach O.P. Yadav and international expert Ryan Dobo.

1. First Indian woman to claim World Championship medal

Geeta's bronze medal at the World Championships is among her many firsts. In the same year as Olympics, she captured a bronze medal at the World Championships. As a result, this made her the first Indian woman wrestler to claim a World Championship medal. Phogat captured the bronze medal at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships in Canada.

She faced Maria Gurova of Russia in the first round and defeated her 3-1. In the second round, Phogat was defeated at 5-0 by Saori Yoshida of Japan. With the Japanese grappler reaching the finals, Phogat competed in the repechage round, first beating Kazakhstan's Akziya Dautbayeva 3-1. She then went on to win 3-0 against Ukraine's Natalya Sinishin. As a result, she secured the bronze medal.

Not only had Geeta made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in female wrestling, but no other woman wrestler in the world could equal her.

All in all, Geeta Phogat is one of the best athletes the country has ever made. Amongst the ones mentioned above, there are various other tales about Geeta's and her sisters' achievements, the country's first female wrestling family.

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