sonepat27 minutes ago
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The eyes of the countrymen are on the game of three more wrestlers in the Commonwealth on Saturday. Ravi Dahiya of Sonipat and Vinesh Phogat of Bhiwani, married here, are among the top contenders for gold. Wrestler Pooja Gehlot has also reached the Commonwealth with full preparation. Ravi Dahiya has won silver medal in Tokyo Olympics. His gold is now considered sure. While Vinesh lost in the Olympics, she has worked hard since then and is all set to make a comeback today. They have a match at 9:30 at night.
Ravi Dahiya – Director of Education in Delhi
Born in Nahari village of Sonipat, Haryana, Ravi Dahiya is currently the Director of Education in the AAP government in Delhi. Won bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Ravi started wrestling at the age of 10 at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. Father Rakesh Dahiya was a landless farmer, who used to grow crops by taking land on contract. To pursue Ravi, he used to take vegetables and milk for his son from his village 40 km away.
Ravi Dahiya has won silver medal in Olympics.
The year 2015 Junior World Wrestling Championship was won by Ravi Dahiya. When he reached the senior, the injury bothered him. Won silver in the 57kg category at the 2018 World Under 23 Wrestling Championship. After that he didn’t look back. Won Gold in the Asian Wrestling Championship in 2020. Then he illuminated the name of the country by winning silver in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He was the first player to win the medal.
Vinesh Phogat – Following in the footsteps of Geeta-Babita
Sonepat’s daughter-in-law Vinesh Phogat is also expecting a medal in the Commonwealth. She has played Olympics twice. He has 2 gold medals in Commonwealth, one gold medal in Asian Games. Won bronze medal at the World Championships in 2019 and the Asian Champion in 2021. Vinesh of Bhiwani’s Balali village is following in the footsteps of her cousins Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari. His uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat started teaching him the tricks of wrestling at a very young age. She is married to Sombir Rathi, a wrestler from Farmana village, Sonepat, on 13 December 2018. Currently lives in Delhi with family.
Vinesh is the niece of Balali’s wrestler Mahabir Singh Phogat. Sonipat’s daughter-in-law.
Pooja Gehlot – father did not want to become a wrestler
Pooja Gehlot of Farmana village of Sonipat will also enter the Commonwealth on Saturday. The countrymen expect medals from him too. Pooja’s uncle Dharamvir Singh was a wrestler and she started playing in the arena from the age of 6. His father Bijendra Singh was against his playing wrestling. Pooja started playing volleyball and played at junior national level.
When Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat won medals in the 2010 Commonwealth, she again came to the side of wrestling. Started training in 2014. Won Gold in Junior National Championship 2015. Won the National Junior Wrestling Championship in 2016 in the 48 kg weight category. However, in the same year, he suffered an injury that kept him away from wrestling for more than a year. She came into limelight after defeating Turkey’s Zenep Yetgil in the semi-finals of the UWW U-23 World Championships.
Pooja Gehlot is a rising wrestler from Sonepat. Commonwealth has reached on the strength of hard work. Lives in Rohtak.
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