Ritu Phogat: A real-life hero of grit and endurance

Commonwealth Wrestling gold medalist Ritu Phogat comes from a famed wrestling family. Her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, is a legendary coach who trained several of her family members and led them to the highest levels of the sport, which ultimately inspired the movie makers to make 'Dangal'. Phogat began her own training at the age of eight, and just a few years later, she dropped out of school to focus on her wrestling career. Phogat won three Indian national championships in wrestling before bagging gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Singapore.

The following year, she won a silver medal at the prestigious World Under-23 Wrestling Championships in Poland, becoming the first female Indian wrestler to do so in the process. She was expected by many to represent India at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, but she shocked the wrestling world when she announced that she was switching her focus to mixed martial arts instead. She moved to Singapore to join the world-renowned Evolve MMA, where she trains with multiple Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champions to bring her striking and submission skills on a par with her elite wrestling. Her ultimate goals are to make her country proud with her performances at the global level and to become India's first Mixed Martial Arts World Champion.

While questioned about her journey and how the passion for wrestling started, Ritu said, "We hail from a very small village in Haryana called Balali. As a girl, there weren't many career options to choose from then. I come from a family of wrestlers; my dad, my elder sisters were all wrestlers. Therefore, I didn't think twice before getting into wrestling. It is a sport I grew up watching and living from a tender age of seven. Since then, there has been no looking back. It was an obvious choice for me to be honest."

"And I have always been the most adventurous one in my family. Thus, trying new things, particularly other forms of martial arts have always piqued my interest. It is my curiosity and passion that have driven me to make the most critical decisions of my life. My family is very proud of me and has always extended support to my decision," she added.

Ritu feels that having members in the family who have already left their mark in the wrestling arena make it a lot easier. She says, "Having members in the family who have already left their mark in the wrestling arena make it a lot easier But then that comes with its own pros and cons as you are expected to understand the sanctity, hard work and dedication that come with it. For me, my initial training started at the age of 7, under my father's guidance. If I look back today, I am glad he put me through rigorous training and never cut me any slack. We used to wake up at 4 a.m. in the morning get trained till 7 a.m., followed by breakfast and rest. Afternoons were dedicated to another intense training session, after which we had dinner and went to bed by 9:00 p.m. This was my daily regime while I was training with my father. Later when I professionally started training I was again lucky enough to be mentored by some of the most renowned hands in the business. The discipline and values I picked up during my early days have helped me navigate through the ebb and flow of life. So I would not describe the journey as tough, in fact, it has been an accelerator in my case."

Ritu says that every match is an opportunity to learn and improve. "I believe that every match presents an opportunity to learn and improve, irrespective of whether one wins or loses. Like I always say, you win some and then you learn some!

restling makes you extremely strong not just physically but mentally as well as it helps you break barriers and push your own limits. I have grown and learnt much more post my fight against Stamp. I made notes of my strengths and weaknesses. I am working towards them and augmenting my grappling alongside. Just like success doesn't get to me, loss doesn't bog me down either," she said.

When Ritu was questioned about MMA scene in India, she said, "If compared to what I last saw of MMA in India, three years back, it is definitely growing through the ranks to become a lot more popular. More people are showing interest in the sport. I get a lot of messages supporting me and the sport on my social media handles. Like any other sport, you need to have grass root development for MMA to excel in the long run. I'm sure the opportunities are opening for MMA talent in India and we'll hopefully have a bevy of stars emerging out of the Indian soil."

Talking about her fitness secrets, Ritu says that there are three pillars which makes her fit. "There are three main pillars that drive my fitness journey - well-balanced diet, consistent training and positive headspace. When it comes to my diet, I always prefer home-cooked food; however, to meet my nutritional requirements I do take supplements. For my training, I never shy away from putting in the extra effort. Hard work, faith, dedication and patience can take a person to greater heights," she explained.

While questioned about future of women in wrestling, Ritu says, "Women have always shown immense capabilities and potential. Their physical and mental strength has been underestimated for years. With the right training infrastructure, support and direction, I believe a plethora of girls can enter the world of sports like wrestling or MMA, and excel in these fields too. Seeing another woman succeed always fills me with pride."

Ritu Phogat about Women's Day

I have always maintained that the strength, stamina, resilience and the power of a woman is underrated. We can make, shape and define the world. We are blessed with the ability to create, transform and nurture so why should we feel any less! While I also believe that you cannot regard a single day to commemorate the role of a woman in the society, I am glad that this day celebrates her as a protagonist and helps opening up regressive mindsets. We are way more than just vanity and

can influence generations. The extent of our power is unimaginable and this day allows a lot of women I know, to claim their glory and celebrate themselves, if not every day.

I was born in a small town like Haryana but my dad has always been extremely gender agnostic. In fact, he's taught us to believe that we are the architects of the society and has championed equality and women empowerment at every given opportunity.

This belief needs to trickle down to the rest of the community so that every day is nothing less than Women's day.

I want to say that every girl and woman should not give up on their dreams and goals and settle for anything less than brilliance. If you don't get it on a platter, let's snatch it with our hardwork and efforts but at the end ensure that we've earned what belongs to us. Giving up may seem easy but going ahead and withstanding the forces is where the win lies. Strong women empower each other to grow, learn and love yourself. Let's be a generation that compels patriarchy to change sides. Let's shine among the ones who believed we could never make it.