Geeta Phogat - Indian wrester starts her campaign today

Indian National Sport – Hockey has done rather poorly – now we look to our Grapplers, remember Sushil Kumar who was our flag-bearer in the Opening ceremony is yet to start his campaign.

Today, the only woman wrestler - Geeta Phogat  would be on view.  Geeta Phogat won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55kg freestyle category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She hails from a Jat family of Bhiwani in Haryana. Her father Mahavir Singh, a former wrestler himself, is also her coach.  She made history by  becoming the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics. She  won a gold medal in the Wrestling FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament that concluded at Almaty, Kazakhstan in April 2012.

The Indian grapplers  are expected to provide late sparks to the Nation’s campaigns and if they can add a medal or two, the whole Nation would rejoice.  The wrestlers had won a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics Games through Sushil Kumar and will be keen to improve upon their tally when the freestyle competitions get underway at the ExCel Arena.  Sushil will spearhead our challenge in 66kg category.

India has fielded a record five wrestlers for the Olympics and Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg) is also being talked about as a medal prospect. Narsingh Pancham Yadav (74kg), Amit Kumar Dahiya (74kg) and Geeta Phogat (55kg) are the other grapplers in the fray.

Geeta Phogat comes from a rustic background but from a family of wrestlers.  Reports state that with no access to padded mats, Geeta  grew up wrestling on a mud floor in an enclosure next to a cattle shed. It was the best training facility that her father, a poor farmer in rural India, could build for his daughter, who he hoped would one day become a world-class athlete.  Yet the lack of facilities have not dithered her.  Some magazines even write that her mere presence on the foam pads of London symbolizes a shift in one of India's longstanding gender biases -  Women can wrestle.

Geetha considers her father to be great motivator and big support for her to succeed in this traditional male bastion.  The 23-year-old Olympian notes that people's attitudes began to change two years ago after she won a gold medal in the 55 kilogram (121 pound) women's free-style wrestling division at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.   It is stated that for training her father had to borrow money and she had to wrest with boys as there were no girls to compete with.    She is now supported by the Govt. and Mittal Champions Trust. 

The Govt has not been investing big on athletes and the training facilities are far behind those available to International athletes, still some individuals outsmart all impediments and rise to succeed – Geetha Pogat will become a household name soon.  She has been training with the American and Canadian female wrestling teams in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Wishing her all success and a Medal in Wresting.  Wrestling is a form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling has been contested at the Summer Olympic Games since the sport was introduced in the ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC. Freestyle wrestling and weight classes both made their first appearance in 1904. The women's competition was introduced in 2004.

Sushil Kumar, the flag bearer of Indian contingent in the present Olympics  won  a bronze medal in the Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Wishing all our Grapplers all Success and some medals

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.