Vinesh Phogat advanced to the women’s 50kg final, where she earned a silver medal at the very least for herself and India. She was disqualified instead of making weight the morning of the top clash, though.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who made it to the final of the Paris Olympics but was disqualified due to a difficult experience, has announced her retirement from the sport.On the day of the final, Vinesh was disqualified from the competition and forfeited her guaranteed medal due to her failure to meet the weight requirement during the second weigh-in.
Vinesh, 29, made history by being the first female wrestler from India to compete in an Olympic final. At Rio 2016, Sakshi Malik, the only other Indian women wrestler to earn an Olympic medal, secured a bronze medal.
Early on Thursday morning, Vinesh shared on her X account, saying on social media, “Mother wrestling, you’ve beaten me.” Pardon me. My hopes have been dashed. My bravery has failed me. At this point, my strength has run out.
Olympic athlete Vinesh has competed in two games and has won three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, two bronze medals at the World Championships, and one gold medal at the Asian Games. 2021 also saw her win the title of Asian champion.
The renowned Phogat wrestling family is where Vinesh is from. Geeta, Sangeeta, and Babita, her cousins, are athletes as well. Sangeeta, her cousin, is the spouse of Olympic bronze champion Bajrang Punia.
For the seasoned wrestler, the past 18 months have been especially challenging. A protest against the former Wrestling Federation of India officials, then headed by long-term president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was spearheaded by Vinesh for the most of 2023 together with Sakshi and Bajrang.
Vinesh and Sakshi spent weeks protesting in the streets of Jantar Mantar, voicing significant issues about abuses of power within the federation, including allegations of sexual harassment and mental abuse. The Wrestling Federation of India was suspended until just governance procedures were followed, and the demonstrations helped bring the organization into the public eye.
In February 2024, the UWW lifted the WFI’s temporary suspension, but they insisted that the Federation ensure that Bajrang, Sakshi, and Vinesh would not face discrimination. Vinesh’s situation improved when she placed first in the 55 kg division at the nationals, her first competitive match in almost 16 months.
Vinesh qualified for the Paris Olympics in the women’s 50kg division by making it to the final of the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. In the semifinal, she defeated Laura Ganikyzy. The wrestlers who achieved the quota would compete in Paris, according to WFI, who announced that they would not have Olympic trials.
