Ritika Phogat, a cousin of champion wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat, died by suicide. The police said Ritika Phogat, 17, was believed to be upset at narrowly losing a wrestling tournament final. She had participated in a state-level competition at Bharatpur in Rajasthan between March 12 and 14."Ritika, wrestler and cousin of Babita Phogat, died allegedly by suicide on March 17. The reason behind it might have been her defeat at a recent wrestling tournament in Rajasthan. Investigations are underway," Ram Singh Bishnoi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Charkhi Dadri, told news agency ANI. According to the police, she had been depressed about losing the final by one point.
She was found dead at the home of her uncle and legendary wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat late Monday. Ritika had trained with Mahavir Phogat, a Dronacharya award winner who runs a sports academy. Geeta Phogat's post reflected the family's shock and grief. "May Ritika, my little sister, my cousin, rest in peace. This is a very tragic time for my family. Ritika was a very able wrestler...don't know why she did this. Winning and losing is a part of life and no one should take such a drastic step," she tweeted in Hindi. “Rest in Peace choti behen Ritika. I still can’t believe what just happened with you Will miss you forever. Om Shanti,” Ritu Phogat tweeted. Geeta and Babita had won gold and silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Geeta was the first female wrestler from India to win gold while Babita went on to win gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Their cousin Vinesh Phogat is the top ranked 53kg wrestler in the world and an Asian Games gold medallist. Vinesh is also a favourite to win a medal at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. Ritu won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship before embarking on a career in mixed martial artist where she holds a 4-0 record in the ONE Championship. Bollywood even dedicated a blockbuster Dangal on the struggles and achievements of the Phogat siblings.