Time to prove myself again: Geeta Phogat

Gonda (UP), November 11

Ready to take the mat after a three-year break, wrestler Geeta Phogat is not short on motivation but a tad nervous about how her second innings will pan out.

Set to turn 33 next month and after giving birth to her first child, Geeta is determined to make a successful comeback despite facing questions from the naysayers. “A lot of people tell me that age is not on my side. You know how people are. They keep telling me these things,” Geeta said as she readies for a comeback after three years at the National Championships.

“But look at Maria Stadnik (from Azerbaijan). She is 33-plus and a mother of two. She has four Olympics medals and is a multiple-time world medallist. If you have fitness and you are focussed, you can do it. I have worked hard on fitness and it’s time to prove myself yet again,” the wrestler, who became the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in 2010, said.

One of the first few Indian women wrestlers to make a mark at the international level, Geeta said that even the thought of leaving the sport sends a chill down her spine. — PTI