Hyderabad: From being dragged from Jantar Mantar where she was protesting against the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to now a podium finish at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, life has come a full circle for grappler Vinesh Phogat.
A post by ace shooter and India's first individual gold medalist at the Olympics Abhinav Bindra summed up what Vinesh Phogat had gone through.
"A torn ligament. A lower weight category. An unbeaten world champion. Nothing stands in her way. Can’t wait to cheer Phogat Vinesh as she goes for gold. Your resilience and strength inspire us all. What an inspiring day, here’s hoping for one more," Bindra said in a post on X.
Former India hockey player and CEO and MD of Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) Viren Rasquina stated that her journey was the stuff of dreams.
According to Rasquina, on August 17, 2023, Vinesh underwent ACL Surgery and it was on August 25 that the OGQ, which is supporting Vinesh had promised her to get in the best shape. She worked a lot on her fitness and became the first Indian women wrestler to make it to the final in the Olympics.
Vinesh was also the face of the wrestler's agitation which demanded action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexually harassing women grapplers. She was vocal in her protests and had even threatened to immerse her medals in River Ganga. From then to now, Vinesh has come a long way.
Wrestler Rahul Aware, himself a 2018 Commonwealth Games medalist, told ETV Bharat that Vinesh's achievement will help wrestling in India.
"I have practised with Vinesh for 10 years and she has a never say die atitude and a fighting spirit which has helped her. She also got immense support from her family and her foreign coach, which kept her going," Aware, who hails from Patoda town in Maharashtra, said.
He also said that Vinesh has carried forward the legacy of India's first individual Olympic medalist Khashaba Jadhav, who had won a bronze medal in the 1952 Olympics.
"There are also two other factors that change how people look at wrestling. One was Sushil Kumar's medal and then the bronze clinched by Sakshi Malik in the 2016 Rio Olympics. People were encouraged to take up the sport, they practised at homes, particularly in northern India like Delhi and Haryana and made them ready for the sport. These two factors were instrumental for the change," he said.
Aware also lauded the hard work out by Vinesh Phogat and said that it was incredible that she lost her weight to compete in different category and defeated the best wrestler.
One will hope that Vinesh, who has promised her mother, that she will return by winning the Gold Medal, lives up to her promise.
