MUMBAI: Wrestling runs in the Phogat family.

It first began with the Phogat sisters Geeta and Babita, who have been ruling hearts with their art for years now, so much so that even a Bollywood film – Aamir Khan starrer Dangal was made on them. 

But passion can sometimes turn detrimental. This is what reportedly happened with their cousin sister Ritika Phogat, who passed away by commiting suicide. 

Ritika was just 17 years old. 

She was a state-level wrestler and was competing in the sub-junior and junior women and men wrestling competition at Lohagarh Stadium in Bharatpur. 

The match started on 12th March and the finale took place on March 14. 

Mahavir Phogat, the father of the Phogat sisters, was also present at the tournament.

As per the latest reports, Ritika Phogat did make it to the finals but lost just by a single point. 

The 17-year-old couldn’t deal with the embarrassment and decided to end her life.

This has truly left many in shock. Even Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways - VK Singh reacted to the news with disappointment and called it ‘terrible'.

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VK Singh took to his Twitter handle and shared, “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.”.

The journey of Geeta and Babita Phogat hasn’t been easy either. Their lives were depicted in the film Dangal and the duo was played by Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh. 

But what matters is that the wrestling duo stood strong against all the hurdles and look where they are today!

Rest in peace, Ritika Phogat! Condolences to the family.

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Credit: Koimoi