From Rio to Paris, Vinesh Phogat's heartbreak at Olympics

Hailing from a family of wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat made her mark on the international stage in 2013 at the age of 19, securing a bronze medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship. The next year, she pulled off a stunning upset at the Commonwealth Games, defeating local favourite Yana Rattigan to claim the gold medal.

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Since that victory, Vinesh has continued to excel, amassing a remarkable collection of medals, including another Commonwealth gold in 2018, a historic bronze at the world championships in 2019, and the Asian championship title in 2021.

However, despite her success, she has yet to secure an Olympic medal and faced downright rotten luck. Here’s a look at her performances in the three Olympic Games she has participated in.

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Rio 2016

At just 21 years old, Vinesh made a remarkable debut, winning her first match against Romania’s Emilia Alina Vuc with an impressive 11-0 victory by technical superiority. Even after twisting her right elbow early in the bout, she displayed her dominance throughout the match.

In the quarter-finals, Vinesh faced a tough contest against China’s Sun Yanan. She initially earned a point on a passivity call, but Yanan quickly countered with a takedown that awarded her two points.

From that point, Yanan managed to pin Vinesh in a challenging position, resulting in a knee injury that left Vinesh in visible pain.

With tears in her eyes, she was carried off the mat on a stretcher, marking a disappointing conclusion to her inaugural Olympic experience.

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Tokyo 2020

Vinesh earned her place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by winning a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships, and she had moved up to the 53kg weight class. Despite the postponement of the Tokyo Games, Vinesh entered the competition as the reigning world No. 1 and was the top seed in her category, having also clinched the Asian championship title for the first time in 2021.

Determined to overcome the disappointment of Rio, Vinesh began her Tokyo campaign with a decisive 7-1 win against Sweden’s Sofia Mattsson, a bronze medalist from Rio 2016.

However, her aspirations for a triumphant return were dashed when Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya caused a significant upset, defeating the top-seeded Indian 9-3 in the quarter-finals.

Vinesh’s journey in the tournament came to an end when Kaladzinskaya lost in the semi-finals, eliminating her chances for a repechage.

Following her loss, a heartbroken Vinesh Phogat expressed her feelings about needing a break from wrestling, citing mental health struggles.

“My body is not broken, but I truly am,” Vinesh Phogat told The Indian Express.

She also revealed that she didn’t know when she would return back to wrestling and if she would at all.

“As an athlete, the mental pressure is so much that we’re always on a thin line. When it crosses, we are done,” she stated.

Paris 2024

With Antim Panghal booking the quota in the 53kg class, Vinesh Phogat was forced to undertake a dangerous decision of dropping to the 50kg weight category.

At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat faced a daunting prospect against defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan. A wrestler who had only ever lost to one wrestler in her career and gone the Tokyo Games without conceding a point. In a remarkably devised bout, Phogat overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.

She would follow that up with wins over Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez and book her place in the gold medal match.

But on the day of the final, Phogat weighed 100gms over the permissible limit and was disqualified. Her place in the final went to Lopez to take on USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.

“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class,” the IOA said in a statement to announce the development.

“Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand.”