Geeta and Babita Phogat’s cousin sister Ritika Phogat reportedly dies by suicide after losing wrestling match

(Trigger Warning)

The nation woke up to a shocking piece of news today, March 18. Ritika Phogat, the cousin sister of wrestlers Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat has apparently died by suicide. Reportedly, Ritika Phogat took her life after losing a match. Media reports state that Ritika took part in the state-level sub-junior women and men wrestling competition in Bharatpur, which took place between March 12 to 14.

According to a report in News 18, Ritika Phogat lost the final match played on March 14 by just a single point. The young wrestler could not ‘bear’ the loss and was in a state of shock. After the defeat, Ritika took the extreme step of ending her life. At around 11 pm, Ritika hanged herself and bid her heavenly adieu. She was 17. Ritika Phogat was the maternal sister of Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat.

Dronacharya Awardee Mahavir Singh Phogat was also reportedly present during the wrestling tournament. He had trained Ritika Phogat, and she was a student of the Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy.

General Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, took to his Twitter handle to share the sad news. He wrote, “Terrible news that we lost Ritika Phogat who had a brilliant career ahead. The world has changed from where it was some decades ago. Athletes are facing pressures that were not there earlier. An essential part of their training should be to deal with these pressures.”

Terrible news that we lost #RitikaPhogat who had a brilliant career ahead. The world has changed from where it was some decades ago. Athletes are facing pressures which were not there earlier. An essential part of their training should be to deal with these pressures.

— Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) March 18, 2021

If you need support or know someone who is struggling, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.