Ritika is the maternal cousin of the famous Phogat sisters
This picture has been used for representational purpose
Ritika Phogat, cousin of Commonwealth Games gold medallists Geeta and Babita Phogat, has died, a tweet by one of the famous Phogat sisters confirmed on Thursday.
Ritika, 17, had returned home after competing in a wrestling tournament in Bharatpur last week.
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"Rest in Peace choti behen Ritika. I still can't believe what just happened with you. Will miss you forever Broken heart... Om Shanti," tweeted Ritu Phogat, the mixed martial arts fighter who is the younger sister of Geeta and Babita and a cousin of Ritika on their mother's side.
Rest in Peace choti behen Ritika. I still can't believe what just happened with you Will miss you forever 💔💔 Om Shanti 🥺😢🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/LiLum1kbYB
— Ritu phogat (@PhogatRitu) March 18, 2021
"I have been getting messages all morning today. I am very sad and disturbed about what happened in my family. I urge people to not spread and believe in any rumours and act responsibly.
"These are tough times for me and my family and I urge you all to respect our privacy," Ritu said in another tweet.
I have been getting messages all morning today. I am very sad and disturbed about what happened in my family. I urge people to not spread and believe in any rumours and act responsibly. These are tough times for me and my family and I urge you all to respect our privacy.
— Ritu phogat (@PhogatRitu) March 18, 2021
Wrestler Babita Phogat also shared a post on Twitter saying that this is a tough time for the entire family. Babita also spoke about the importance of winning and losing as part of life.
भगवान रितिका की आत्मा को शांति दे। यह समय पूरे परिवार के लिए बहुत ही दुख की घड़ी है। आत्महत्या कोई समाधान नहीं है। हार और जीत दोनों जीवन के महत्वपूर्ण पहलू हैं। हारने वाला एक दिन जीतता भी जरूर है। संघर्ष ही सफलता की कुंजी है संघर्षों से घबराकर ऐसा कोई कदम नहीं उठाना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/ecb4DztyC4
— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) March 18, 2021
"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," Minister of State for Road Transport & Highway, V.K. Singh tweeted.
Geeta and Babita had won gold and silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Geeta was the first female wrestler from India to win gold while Babita went on to win gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Their cousin Vinesh Phogat is the top-ranked 53kg wrestler in the world and an Asian Games gold medallist. Vinesh is also a favourite to win a medal at this year's Tokyo Olympics.
Ritu won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship before embarking on a career in mixed martial artist where she holds a 4-0 record in the ONE Championship.
Bollywood even dedicated a blockbuster Dangal on the struggles and achievements of the Phogat siblings.
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