Wrestler Vinesh Phogat: A champion of hearts who was defeated by fate at cusp of sketching history at Olympics

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat - who can be rightfully called India's shining armour in the Paris Olympics 2024 - stood at the cusp of making history when her dreams of winning a gold medal were shattered due to her disqualification for being overweight. After getting disqualified, Phogat announced her retirement as she said, "Mom, Wrestling has defeated me, I have lost. I lost…my courage is all broken, I don't have any more strength now". 

This is not the first time that the athlete has faced a tough situation.

It was only last year when Phogat was leading an anti-sexual harassment demonstration against Indian politician and then president of the Indian wrestling federation Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Here's the story of the woman whose name will be emboldened in gold in the history of wrestling even without the gold medal.

Who is wrestler Vinesh Phogat?

Vinesh Phogat is an Indian wrestler who was carrying the Olympic story of hope which turned into a heartbreak after being disqualified from the final match in the women’s 50kg freestyle category on Wednesday (Aug 7).

She is a three-time Olympian from Haryana and the first Indian woman wrestler to clinch a gold at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

She has won multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships and is the first Indian athlete to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019.

Also Read: Vinesh Phogat enters Olympics wrestling final, Congress mocks PM, Kangana reminds her of anti-Modi stance

While participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Phogat emerged as the first international wrestler to have defeated reigning gold medalist and four times World Champion Yui Susaki in women's 50kg wrestling and also became India's first female wrestler to reach an Olympic final.

In a heartbreaking twist of fate, Phogat was disqualified because she failed to weigh more than 50kg which was required for the competition on Wednesday morning (August 7), as stated by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

“Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning,” said the IOA, in a statement posted on X.

Feisty wrestler's struggle for justice on streets of India 

Phogat became the face of the fierce protests led by the wrestlers against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who faced allegations of sexual misconduct and also raised the hot debate of #MeToo incidents in the world of sports in January 2023. 

For weeks, Phogat along with other wrestlers camped in Delhi demanding an investigation against Singh, who was the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Watch: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat reaches her maiden semi-final

They also wrote a letter to the head of the Indian Olympic Association demanding action on their complaints. When the country's sports ministry assured the athletes that an investigation would be carried out, they paused their protests.

However, because very little action was taken on the issue, Phogat and the other wrestlers again took to the streets and demanded justice. The protests at a few occasions turned violent with police dragging Phogat, her sister Sangeeta Phogat, and wrestler Sakshi Malik out from the demonstration site.

The wrestlers also took the extreme step of throwing their Olympic medals into the Ganges River in Haridwar as a mark of protest.

“These medals decorating our necks no longer mean anything,” said the athletes, in a statement, adding, “What is the point of life when you compromise on dignity?”

Finally, the wrestlers saw a ray of hope when Singh was charged with assault, stalking and sexual harassment by the Delhi police.

On August 7, Phogat's long-cherished dream of winning an Olympic medal after 12 years of struggle and two failed attempts had an unexpected turn. But sinking in despair and accepting defeat is just not in the nature of this Olympian.

(With inputs from agencies)