Ritika Phogat, 17-year-old wrestler and a cousin of famed wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat, died allegedly by suicide on Monday, according to a statement by the Haryana police.
The cause of the alleged death by suicide was believed to be the wrestler’s disappointment with narrowly losing out in a tournament final, by a single point, a state-level competition at Bharatpur in Rajasthan.
She was found dead at the home of her uncle and legendary wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who runs a sports academy and whom she traineed with.
Investigations are underway, according to the police, who added ‘she had been depressed about losing the final.’
Geeta Phogat posted on social media condoling her cousin’s death, saying “May Ritika, my little sister, my cousin, rest in peace. This is a very tragic time for my family. Ritika was a very able wrestler…don’t know why she did this. Winning and losing is a part of life and no one should take such a drastic step,” she tweeted.
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