Wrestling league’s power puff girls
CHANDIGARH: Indian wrestling’s famous Phogat sisters have added another feather to their cap. It is probably for the first time in the sport’s history that five girls of the same family are competing in one league, the inaugural edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) in this case.
The Phogat sisters — Geeta (26), Babita (25), Vinesh (22), Ritu (21) and Priyanaka (21) — are representing their respective franchises in the PWL which began last Thursday.
Interestingly, four of them will face each other during the course of the league. Vinesh and Ritu are in the 48kg weight category and representing Dilli Veer and Mumbai Garuda, respectively. Babita and Priyanka are in the 53kg category and are representing UP Warriors and Punjab Royals, respectively. The fifth, Geeta, who during the 2012 London Games created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to compete in the Olympics, is the icon player for Punjab Royals and is competing in 58kg category whose life actor Amir Khan is making a movie, was beaming with pride. While Babita, Geeta and Ritu are his own daughters, Priyanka and Vinesh are daughters of his deceased brother and them up as well.
They all live together at Balali Village of Bhiwani, Haryana. Sangeeta (17) also from the same family has now picked up the sport and won silver in the last year. Being a junior she was not considered for the league, but it in the years to come, there could be a sixth Phogat sister competing in the league.
“When I introduced Geeta and Babita to wrestling there was no girl in the village with whom they could wrestle, so they used to wrestle with their male cousins. But today I am happy to see both boys and girls participating together in the league,” said Mahavir. “All the five are equal to me. I only want them to showcase their