Before you watch Aamir Khan's Dangal, do you know the untold story of the Phogat sisters

12/23/2016

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The Aamir Khan starer Dangal, which hit the theaters yesterday, revolves around the story of the Phogat family, particularly Geeta Phogat who won India’s first-ever gold medal in women’s wrestling. Her sister Babita Kumari also won the silver in the 51 kg category at the 2010 Commonwealth games.

Aamir Khan plays the part of Mahavir Singh Phogat, who is a former amateur wrestler and senior Olympics coach himself. Earlier this year, MS Phogat was awarded with the Dronacharya Award for excellence in sports coaching by the Government of India. In a revolutionary stance amid Haryana's patriarchal culture, Phogat trained his four daughters and two nieces in the art of wrestling, and the effort has seen India win three gold medals at the commonwealth games.

The run of success started with his eldest daughter, Geeta Phogat winning gold at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in the 55kg category in 2009. A year later, she created history by winning the first-ever gold medal in women’s wrestling for India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Geeta followed that up with another top-of-podium finish at the 2011 Melbourne Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. At the 2012 London Games, she missed out on a medal after she lost her repechage round to Svetlana Lazareva of Ukraine.

Geeta's youger sister, Babita Kumari, has been successful in her own right winning a silver medal in Delhi and following it up with a gold medal in Glasgow after going up a weight category. Along with her Commonwealth medals, she has also won two golds at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship and a bronze at the Asian Wrestling Championships.

MS Phogat has also trained Vinesh Phogat, his deceased brother's daughter, the cynosure of Indian wrestling at the moment. The 22-year-old has already amassed a collection of medals that include a Commonwealth Games gold, a silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships and a bronze at the Asian Games. She was a medal favorite at Rio, but an infortunate injury ruled her out of contention from the event.

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