Vinesh Phogat, 29, the three-time Commonwealth Games Gold medallist and two-time World Championship bronze medal winner, announced her retirement from wrestling a day after her heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics. Phogat, a three-time Olympian, had qualified for the Gold medal match in the women’s 50kg weight category after becoming the first international wrestler to beat Japanese champion Yui Susaki and two more wrestlers from Ukraine and Cuba in a day before she was disqualified for being overweight by just 100 grams on the final match day.
Vinesh’s fellow wrestler and Indian Tokyo Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia led reactions to Punia’s shock retirement on Thursday (August 8) morning. “Vinesh, you have not lost, you have been defeated, for us you will always be a winner, you are not only the daughter of India but also the pride of India,” Punia said in a heartwarming post.
The fans too reacted to Vinesh’s retirement saying that she will always remain a national champion and a hero. Take a look at some of the reactions:
Vinesh will end her career as a three-time Commonwealth Games medallist, with eight medals in Asian Championships including a Gold, two-time bronze winner in World Championships and with two medals in the Asian Games including a Gold. However, her dream of having an Olympic medal around her neck remained unfulfilled despite winning it. As they say, it wasn’t meant to be. After the fight on the roads she has had for justice, Vinesh had to get through the entire system to be in Paris and fight for her dream but it was shattered.
Vinesh has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as a last resort to be considered for a joint Silver medal after losing her rank due to disqualification. The result is awaited Thursday morning, August 8, but it will be a miracle if it comes in Vinesh’s favour.
Aman Sehrawat and Anshu Malik will be fighting in their respective 57kg categories on Thursday, August 8 as India continues its hopes of not breaking its streak of a wrestling medal since 2008 at the Olympics.