Hyderabad: Vinesh Phogat returned to her home country without a medal as the ad-hoc division Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) dismissed the Indian wrestler's appeal to reward a joint-silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
A few hours before she returned to India, the wrestler shared a heartfelt note on her social media handle, hinting at a comeback after announcing a retirement on August 8. The 29-year-old expressed her gratitude towards everyone who supported and contributed to her impressive journey, including coaches, parents and husband. She didn't mention her uncle and her sister Geeta Phogat's father Mahavir Phogat, who is a prominent figure in Indian wrestling and has contributed significantly to the sport by training wrestlers like Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat, in the note.
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 16, 2024
Following Vinesh's post on X, Geeta Phogat's husband, Pawan Saroha, expressed his disappointment with Vinesh's post which did not mention Mahavir Phogat. Pawan commented on the 29-year-old wrestler's Instagram post to remind her who Mahavir Phogat is. "Vinesh, you have written very well but perhaps today you have forgotten your uncle Mahavir Phogat, who started your wrestling career. May God give you pure wisdom," he commented on Instagram.
विनेश आपने बहुत ही बढ़िया लिखा है लेकिन शायद आज आप अपने ताऊ जी महावीर फोगाट को भूल गए हैं। जिन्होनें आपकी कुश्ती जीवन को शुरू किया था भगवान आपको शुद्ध बुद्धि दे ❤️🙏 https://t.co/BtQai2lcEp
— Pawan Saroha (@pawankumar86kg) August 16, 2024
Even Geeta Phogat criticised Vinesh for not mentioning Mahavir's name in the note. In her post, Geeta did not mention anyone by name, but due to the timing of her posting, it is being linked to Vinesh.
"The result of karma is simple, the result of deceit is deceit, if not today then tomorrow," Geeta wrote on her X handle. Additionally, she retweeted a post from her husband Pawan Saroha, in which he advised Vinesh to use her intelligence.
कर्मों का फल सीधा सा है
— geeta phogat (@geeta_phogat) August 16, 2024
'छल का फल छल '
आज नहीं तो कल
Meanwhile, Mahavir Phogat in an interaction with ANI said he would welcome Vinesh like a gold medallist. "We were hopeful that the verdict will be in our favour but there is no scope for anything after the verdict given by the CAS. When Vinesh returns on the 17th, we will welcome her like a Gold Medalist. We will try to persuade her to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. We will also prepare Sangeeta Phogat and Ritu Phogat for the 2028 Olympics," Mahavir said to ANI.
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