E-Paper
5 things to know about Vinesh Phogat, who accused WFI chief of sexual harassment
Hailing from a wrestling family, Vinesh is the niece of legendary wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Wednesday accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women wrestlers. She was joined by other top wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, at a protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the Federation and Singh, who denied the allegations. The three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist also accused Singh of calling her a 'khota sikka' after defeat in the Tokyo Olympics. She claimed to have received death threats from people close to Singh and said at least 20 women had been sexually exploited by him.
Here are 5 things to know about Vinesh Phogat:
1. Hailing from a wrestling family, she is the niece of legendary wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and the cousin of wrestlers Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, who are the subject of the film Dangal. Her father died at the age of nine. She married wrestler Somvir Rathee after her Asian Games win in 2018.
2. One of India's most decorated women wrestlers, her first major win was a gold medal in the 48 kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she reached the quarter final; she was then just 21.
READ | 'Respond in 72 hrs or...': Centre to WFI over sexual harassment charge
3. After shifting up from the 50 kg to the 53 kg category, she has gone from strength to strength. The first Indian female wrestler to win gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games, she bagged her three Commonwealth Games gold and an Asian Games gold. She also won a bronze - her first World Championships medal - in Kazakhstan in 2019.
4. This led to high expectations at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she exited in quarter final. After securing gold in the 53kg category at an event in Rome, she became World No 1 in her category.
5. Vinesh Phogat was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2016 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award - India's highest sporting honour - in 2020.
