Vinesh Phogat, one of India's most prominent wrestlers, recently opened up about her decision to retire from the sport following her disqualification from the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a heartfelt post on social media, Vinesh revealed that she would not have made the decision to retire so soon if circumstances had been different. She expressed that, under better conditions, she could have continued her wrestling career until the 2032 Olympics.
Vinesh's disqualification came as a significant blow, as she was competing in the 50kg women’s freestyle wrestling final but failed to make weight on the day of the gold medal bout. Her appeal for a joint-silver medal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday, further adding to her disappointment.
Check out the post here:
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 16, 2024
Vinesh, in her post, also thanked Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, personal coach Woller Akos to name a few in her heart-warming post.
In her more than 1200-word post on X, Vinesh narrated her life story and highlighted the fightback and struggles that she had to endure in order to play at the highest level for the country.
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"Olympic rings: as a small girl from a small village I did not know what was the Olympics or what these rings meant. As a small girl, I dreamt of things like long hair, flaunting a mobile phone in my hand and doing -- things that any young girl would normally dream of," she wrote in a post on X."
My journey here has allowed me to meet so many people, most good and some bad. In the past 1.5-2 years, a lot has happened off and on the mat. My life took many turns, felt like life took a stop for good and there was no way out from the pit we were in. But the people around me had honesty in them, they had goodwill and massive support for me. These people and their faith in me was so strongly grounded, it is because of them that I could continue through the challenges and get through the past 2 years," Vinesh said.
"For my journey on the mat, my support team for the past two years has played a huge part," she added.
Amid the criticism of her support staff for failing to cut down her weight for the final match, the 29-year-old detailed their contribution to her life and thanked them for their unwavering support in her journey.
"Woller Akos: Anything I write about him will always be less. In the world of Women's Wrestling, I have found him to be the best coach, best guide and best human being, able to handle any situation with his calmness, patience and confidence. He does not have the word impossible in his dictionary and he is always ready with a plan whenever we face a tough situation on or off the mat," she said."
There were times when I doubted myself, and was shifting away from my internal focus and he would know exactly what to say and how to bring me back on my path. He was more than a coach, he was my family in wrestling. He was never hungry to take credit for my victory and success, always humble and taking a step back as soon as his work was done on the mat," Vinesh said.
"But I want to give him the recognition he much deserves, whatever I do will never be enough to thank him for his sacrifices, for the time he spent away from his family. I can never repay him for the time lost with his two small boys. I wonder if they know what their father has done for me and if they understand how important his contributions have been. All I can do today is tell the world that if it hadn't been for you I would not have done on the mat what I have done."
Ashwini Jeevan Patil: The first day we met in 2022, I felt immediately secure by the way she took care of me that day, her confidence was enough to make me feel that she could take care of wrestlers and this difficult game.
"Through the past 2.5 years she went through this journey with me like it was her own, every competition, win and loss, every injury and rehab journey was hers as much as it was mine. This is the first time I met a physiotherapist who has shown this much dedication and reverence towards me and my journey. Only we really know what we went through before every training, after every training session and in the moments in between," she concluded.