Winners they are

Geeta Phogat is India’s first-ever gold medallist in women’s wrestling at the Commonwealth Games 2010. The eldest of the Phogat sisters, she has many firsts to her credit. She is the first Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics and the first to win a medal at the World Championships, a bronze in 55kg category in 2012. She also has two bronze medals in the Asian Championships (2012, 2015).

Vinesh is one of the rising stars of women wrestling in India. The 50kg category wrestler won a gold medal in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Asiad gold. She has had an illustrious career so far, winning two CWG gold (2014, 2018). In the Asian Championships, Vinesh has won three silver medals (2015, 2017, 2018) and two bronze (2013, 2016).

Sonika is the first Indian woman wrestler to win the title of Bharat Kesari in Bharat Kesari Dangal in 2001. This former Hisar wrestler is the daughter of legendary wrestler Master Chandgi Ram, who won a gold in 1970 Asian Games.He is credited with starting the women wrestling revolution in Haryana. She bid goodbye to wrestling in 2010. Next year, she appeared in TV reality show Bigg Boss.

Sakshi Malik is undoubtedly the most successful Indian women wrestler from Haryana till now. The Mokhra village girl won a bronze (58kg category) in the Rio Olympics in 2016. She has won two Commonwealth Games medals — silver at Glasgow in 2014 and bronze at Gold Coast in 2018. She won the bronze at the 2015 Asian Championships and silver at the 2017 edition. In 2018, Sakshi had a lean patch and had to be content with bronze in the continental meet.

Patriarch Against patriarchy

The Phogat sisters — Geeta, Babita, Priyanka, Ritu, Vinesh and Sangita — are part of an extended family of Balali village in Bhiwani district.  The six sisters emerged on the national scene after getting their initial training under former wrestler-cum-coach Mahavir Singh Phogat.  While Geeta, Babita, Ritu and Sangita are daughters of Mahavir, their cousins Priyanka and Vinesh were brought up by Mahavir after his younger brother was killed in a land dispute. These girls broke patriarchal stereotypes at a time when the state had a severely skewed sex ratio. Mahavir’s inspirational story became a script for Aamir Khan-starrer Bollywood blockbuster Dangal, which made the Phogat sisters international celebrities.

—Compiled by Gaurav Kanthwal