Vinesh Phogat, the small village girl who once knew nothing of the Olympics or its rings, reached the Games three times. She almost achieved a silver medal and advanced to the gold medal bout at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Her journey was remarkable, but then, time seemed to freeze and so did her "fate". (More Sports News)
After being disqualified from the Paris 2024 Olympics just before her 50 kg women's freestyle wrestling gold medal bout, the 29-year-old Indian wrestler’s world came crashing down. Known for her protest in Delhi against Brij Bhushan Singh of the Wrestling Federation of India, she found herself fighting again—this time in Paris, seeking justice from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
She appealed for a joint silver medal, but despite days of delays and anticipation, the court ultimately denied her request.
On August 8, 2024, following the heartbreak at Paris 2024, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling. Today, August 16, Friday, she shared her story, an emotional note—reflecting on her journey from being a "small girl from a small village" to competing in the Paris Games, fighting, overcoming the loss of her father, and enduring countless struggles along the way.
"During the wrestlers protest I was fighting hard to protect the sanctity of women in India, the sanctity and values of our Indian flag. But when I look at the pictures of me with the Indian flag from 28th May 2023, it haunts me. It was my wish to have the Indian flag fly high this Olympics, to have a picture of the Indian flag with me that truly represents it's value and restores it's sanctity.
I felt that by doing this it will correctly reprimand what the flag went through and what wrestling went through. I really was hoping to show that to my fellow Indians", Phogat said in her Instagram post.
"There is so much more to say and so much more to tell but words will never be enough and maybe I will speak again when the time feels right. On the night of 6th August and the morning of 7th August, all I want to say is that we did not give up, our efforts did not stop, and we did not surrender but the clock stopped and the time was not fair. So was my fate.
To my team, my fellow Indians and my family, it feels like the goal that we were working towards and what we had planned to achieve is unfinished, that something might always remain missing, and that things might never be the same again.
Will Vinesh Phogat Continue Her Wrestling Career?
"Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing till 2032, because the fight in me and wrestling in me will always be there. I can't predict what the future holds for me, and what awaits me in this journey next, but I am sure that I will continue to fight always for what I believe in and for the right thing", said the Indian wrestler who did not give up till the end.
Her final message leaves a cliffhanger about whether she will compete in the LA Olympics 2028. Many stars, including her cousin sisters Geeta and Babita Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, have urged Vinesh not to retire just yet. With her wrestling skills still sharp and circumstances constantly shifting, there remains a possibility that she might continue her career.
