New Delhi, August 8 (Udaipur Kiran): Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from wrestling following a tough experience at the Paris Olympics, where she was disqualified from the tournament after reaching the final.
Vinesh failed a weight check during the second weigh-in (on the day of the final) and was disqualified from the tournament, costing her a guaranteed medal. The 29-year-old had become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic wrestling final. The only other Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling is Sakshi Malik, who won bronze at Rio 2016.
Early Thursday morning, Vinesh wrote on her X account: “Mother wrestling, you have defeated me. Forgive me. My dreams are shattered. My courage has broken. I have no strength left. Goodbye wrestling. I will always be indebted to you. Forgive me.”
The two-time Olympian, Vinesh, has three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two World Championship bronze medals, and an Asian Games gold medal to her name. She was also crowned the Asian champion in 2021.
Vinesh hails from the prestigious Phogat wrestling family. Her cousins Geeta, Babita, and Babita are also wrestlers. Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia is married to her cousin Sangita.
The past eighteen months have been particularly tough for the experienced wrestler. For most of 2023, Vinesh, along with Sakshi and Bajrang, protested against the then administrators of the Wrestling Federation of India, led by then long-time president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Vinesh and Sakshi, along with other serious allegations of abuse of power within the federation, accused of sexual harassment and mental torture and protested on the streets of Jantar Mantar for several weeks. The protests helped focus attention on the Wrestling Federation of India, which was suspended until fair operating practices were implemented.
The UWW lifted the provisional suspension of the WFI in February 2024, but the federation was required to guarantee that no discriminatory action would be taken against Bajrang, Sakshi, or Vinesh. Things turned positive for Vinesh as she won the gold medal in the 55kg category at the national level, which was her return to competitive wrestling after almost 16 months.
Vinesh had secured her Paris Olympics quota in the women’s 50kg category by reaching the final at the Asian Olympic Qualifier. She defeated Laura Gregorijevic in the semifinals.
The WFI said they would not hold Olympic trials and the wrestlers who won the quota would compete in Paris.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
