Wrestler Ritika Phogat dies, cops suspect suicide after match loss

Last updated on March 25th, 2021 at 09:20 am

17-year-old wrestler Rtika Phogat died after losing the final of a wrestling tournament in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, said a report in Times of India. She is the cousin of commonwealth championship gold medalist Babita Phogat. 

The DSP from Bishnoi, Ram Singh Bishnoi told ANI, “Ritika, wrestler, and cousin of Babita Phogat died allegedly by suicide on March 17. The reason behind it might have been her defeat at a recent wrestling tournament in Rajasthan. Investigation underway.”

Ritika Phogat, the maternal cousin of Babita Phogat, had only started appearing in the senior circuit. She lost the final match of a wrestling tournament and that is when the reports of suicide came into view on Monday. Many media reports revealed that this was due to the embarrassment of her loss. 

The talented wrestler was found dead at the home of her uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat. The police thought that losing the match narrowly had taken a toll on her and made her depressed about losing the final point. The tournament saw both her father and her uncle and coach of the Geeta and Babita Phogat Mahvir Singh Phogat. 

The cousin of the wrestler Harvindra phogat said that the whole family is in shock and that they never paid attention to the impact of the loss that she had. Mahavir Singh was the one who trained Ritika, revealed reports. The coach himself is an award-winning wrestler. A movie called ‘Dangal’ showed the character of the Phogat which was brought to the screen by Aamir Khan. 

After the movie was released, the coach gained a lot of attention for his old school training methods and opened a sports academy after his name. Ritika was one of his students at the academy. 

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India’s first-ever gold medal in Wrestling came in the 2010 commonwealth games. It was the eldest daughter of Mahavir Singh Phogat, Geeta Phogat, who won the gold medal. She also became the first Indian wrestler to qualify for the Olympics in 2012. Her younger sister Babita Phogat won silver in the commonwealth in 2010 but converted the color into gold in 2014. She was also a bronze medalist at the 2012 world wrestling championship.