New Delhi: In what came as a shocking news on Thursday from the Indian wrestling fraternity as Ritika Phogat, the maternal cousin of Babita Phogat, has reportedly died by suicide after losing the final match of a wrestling tournament. It is being claimed that Ritika, who was the maternal sister of the Phogat sisters, could not bear the defeat in the final match leading to take the extremely grave decision.
According to media reports, Ritika participated in the state-level sub-junior, junior women, and men wrestling tournament at Lohagarh Stadium in Rajasthan between March 12 and 14. In the final which was played on Sunday, Ritika lost by a slim of just 1 point.
The reports further state that Ritika went in shock after the defeat and took the extreme step. It is also being reported that Dronacharya Awardee and father of Phogat sisters, Mahavir Phogat, was also present in the tournament.
Phogat sisters (Geeta and Babita) became a common name after winning Gold and Silver medals respectively in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Geeta was the first female wrestler from the country to clinch a gold medal in the CWG and also represented India in the 2012 London Olympics. Also, Ritu has been competing in the ONE Championship while her cousin Vinesh Phogat is a freestyle wrestler and one of India's biggest medal hopes from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Wrestling runs in the Phogat family, with Geeta and Babita leading the charge, as was seen in the famous Bollywood film Dangal. A number of other members of the family also earn their livelihood by challenging inside the wrestling ring.
As soon as the news was surfaced online, many were shocked and took to Twitter to react.
