Geeta Phogat and Sakshi Malik are two of India’s most successful female wrestlers. Geeta became India’s first-ever gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and the first woman wrestler from the country to qualify for the Olympics.
Sakshi, who has often been overshadowed by the celebrated Phogat sister, became India’s first ever female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics in 2016 when she claimed the bronze.
It is interesting to note, however, that both have similar roots. Both of them come from humble backgrounds. Both Geeta and Sakshi had to fight their way through gender discrimination and social prejudices in rural Haryana. But the duo did not allow these to become obstacles as they persevered until they achieved their goal.
Sakshi has always considered her senior compatriot, Geeta, her role model. The two champion wrestlers trained together but had to compete for a berth in the Rio Games. In the Olympic trials, Sakshi emerged victorious in the bout.
However, following the massive success of Aamir Khan’s Dangal, which tells the story of Geeta and her struggles, a video showing a fight between the Commonwealth gold medallist and the Olympic medallist resurfaced.
Also read: The real 'Dangal': The story of the real struggle of the Phogat sisters under 'coach' Mahavir Singh Phogat
The video shows the two facing each other at the Asian Cadet Wrestling Championships in 2015 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium complex, Kasaba Jadhav wrestling hall in New Delhi.
The fight begins on a cautious note with the two wrestlers lining each other up. After the few initial grapples, it is Sakshi who goes on the offence as she tries to attack Geeta by grasping her legs. However, Geeta expertly manoeuvres her way out and manages to hold Sakshi down. The first round ends with both the wrestlers getting one point apiece.
The second round begins in a similar fashion, with Sakshi on the offence. She manages to push Geeta outside the mat and gains one more point. Sakshi then tries to go for Geeta’s legs yet again, but this time Geeta is ready and with one swift move forces Sakshi to the mat.
Sakshi continues targeting the lower body of Geeta and manages to floor her opponent once at the beginning of the third round. Geeta, however, makes a strong comeback as she manages to win back one point immediately.
Geeta then brings her experience into play as she dodges Sakshi’s attempts and finally manages to prevail over her opponent. The bout comes to an end with Geeta pinning Sakshi to the mat who can do nothing to resist.
