Simply when the entire of India was ready for the gold medal match between Vinesh Phogat and American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt with bated breath, a heartbreaking information got here from Paris on Wednesday that the Indian grappler had been disqualified for being chubby by a mere 100 grams.
And on early Thursday morning one other unhappy information got here when Vinesh introduced her retirement from wrestling by posting on her official X deal with.
Vinesh posted: “Ma, wrestling has gained, I’ve misplaced. Please forgive me, your desires and my braveness, all the things is damaged. I haven’t got any extra power now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me).”
Vinesh’s uncle and mentor Mahavir Phogat has stated that he, alongwith her sisters and acclaimed wrestler Bajrang Punia will attempt to discuss her out of retirement.
Vinesh comes from a household of wrestlers, a household that defied odds and fought traditions to ship their ladies into wrestling in a male patriarch society and state of Haryana, a household on which the Aamir Khan starrer ‘Dangal‘ was launched in 2016.
Born on 25 August 1994 in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, Vinesh was simply 9 years previous when a mentally unstable relative of her household is claimed to have shot her father Rajpal Singh useless in entrance of their home.
Vinesh’s mom Premlata was 32 at the moment and never solely she introduced up Vinesh, her elder brother and sister however even fought a battle with a dreaded illness like most cancers.
Mahavir Singh Phogat took Vinesh and her sister Priyanka beneath his wings and educated them in wrestling alongwith his 4 daughters, Geeta, Babita, Ritu, and Sangita.
An novice wrestler and a senior Olympics coach, Mahavir Phogat was awarded the Dronacharya Award by the Authorities of India in 2016.
Regardless of going through societal pressures and challenges in a male-dominated sport, he endured in coaching his daughters, emphasizing the significance of bodily health and wrestling methods.
Mahavir Phogat’s eldest daughter Geeta Phogat is thought for her achievements in freestyle wrestling within the 55 kg class and gained prominence by successful a gold medal on the 2010 Commonwealth Video games held in Delhi, turning into the primary Indian lady wrestler to attain this feat.
Geeta additionally gained a bronze medal on the 2012 World Wrestling Championships in Canada and certified for the 2012 Summer season Olympics in London, turning into the primary Indian lady wrestler to qualify for the Olympics.
Achievements:
- Commonwealth Video games 2010: Gold medal within the 55 kg class.
- World Wrestling Championships 2012: Bronze medal.
- Asian Wrestling Championships: Bronze in 2012 and 2015.
Geeta’s youthful sister Babita competes within the freestyle wrestling class and has gained quite a few nationwide and worldwide medals.
Babita first gained main recognition on the 2010 Commonwealth Video games, the place she gained a silver medal within the 51 kg class.
Babita went on to win a gold medal on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow, within the 55 kg class.
Babita additionally secured a bronze medal on the 2012 World Wrestling Championships and has participated in varied different worldwide competitions, bringing residence a number of accolades.
Achievements:
- Commonwealth Video games 2010: Silver medal within the 51 kg class.
- World Wrestling Championships 2012: Bronze medal.
- Commonwealth Video games 2014: Gold medal within the 55 kg class.
- Asian Wrestling Championships: Bronze in 2013 and 2019.
- Commonwealth Video games 2018: Silver medal within the 53 kg class.
Ritu Phogat began her wrestling profession following within the footsteps of her elder sisters, Geeta and Babita. She gained a gold medal on the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship within the 48 kg class. Ritu additionally secured a silver medal on the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships and a bronze medal on the 2017 U-23 World Wrestling Championships, showcasing her expertise on the worldwide stage.
In 2019, Ritu Phogat made a major profession shift by transitioning from wrestling to combined martial arts (MMA). She signed with ONE Championship, one of many largest MMA organizations in Asia, to pursue her new profession. Ritu made her skilled MMA debut in November 2019 and has since competed in a number of bouts, incomes recognition for her abilities and willpower within the new sport.
Achievements in MMA:
- Ritu has demonstrated robust grappling and wrestling abilities in her MMA fights, which have been her main strengths.
- Ritu has achieved a number of victories in ONE Championship, rapidly rising by means of the ranks within the atomweight division.
Following within the footsteps of her elder sisters, Sangita Phogat took up wrestling and has competed within the freestyle wrestling class and has participated in varied nationwide and worldwide tournaments, incomes recognition for her abilities and performances.
Achievements:
- Sangita has gained a number of medals at national-level competitions, showcasing her potential as a wrestler.
- She continues to work in the direction of making a mark on the worldwide wrestling scene, aiming to emulate the success of her sisters.
Sangita is married to Bajrang Punia, one in all India’s prime male wrestlers. Bajrang is an achieved wrestler with a number of medals at worldwide competitions, together with the Commonwealth Video games, Asian Video games, Olympics and World Wrestling Championships.
Vinesh’s sister Priyanka Phogat can also be impressed by her cousins and commenced coaching in wrestling at a younger age and competes within the freestyle wrestling class.
Achievements:
- Asian Wrestling Championships: Silver medal within the 2016 version, held in Bangkok, Thailand, within the 55 kg class.
- Nationwide Championships: A number of medals at national-level competitions, contributing to her fame as a talented wrestler.
- Worldwide Competitions: Participation in quite a few worldwide wrestling occasions, including to her expertise and publicity.
It’s this household legacy following which Vinesh Phogat grew to become a extremely achieved wrestler reaching important success on the worldwide stage.
Achievements:
- Commonwealth Video games: Gold medals within the 2014 Glasgow and 2018 Gold Coast editions.
- Asian Video games: Gold medal within the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang version.
- World Wrestling Championships: Bronze medal within the 2019 version.
- Asian Wrestling Championships: A number of medals, together with gold, silver, and bronze, throughout varied editions.
Olympics: Vinesh certified for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Vinesh confronted a major setback throughout the Rio 2016 Olympics when she suffered a extreme knee harm throughout a match, which ended her marketing campaign. In Tokyo additionally, Vinesh’s marketing campaign ended with a defeat within the quarterfinal.
In Paris, Vinesh grew to become the primary Indian lady wrestler to enter an Olympic remaining until catastrophe struck.
