Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement following a surprising disqualification from the gold medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On Thursday, an emotional Vinesh Phogat took to X to share her decision, stating, “Wrestling won against me, I lost… Your dreams and my courage are shattered. I don’t have the strength to continue. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be grateful to all of you. Sorry.”
The disqualification, due to being 100 grams overweight, not only cost her a gold medal but also resulted in her being stripped of the medal she earned.
Vinesh Phogat, one of India’s top wrestlers, hails from a renowned wrestling family. She has a storied career with three Olympic appearances, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two World Championships bronze medals, and one Asian Games gold. She was also the Asian champion in 2021.
Inspired by her cousins Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, Vinesh was introduced to wrestling at a young age by her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat. Her journey in wrestling began as a child prodigy and included a remarkable junior career.
Her first major international title came at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she won gold in the 48kg category. She secured her place in the Rio 2016 Olympics by winning the Olympic qualifying event in Istanbul, but her hopes were dashed when she dislocated her knee during a quarterfinal match.
After Rio, Vinesh clinched gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, then shifted to the 53kg category in 2019. She earned a bronze at the Asian Wrestling Championships and her first World Championships medal, securing a spot for Tokyo 2020.
Despite a strong year leading up to Tokyo 2020, where she was undefeated and won her first gold at the 2021 Asian Championships, she was knocked out early in Tokyo. Vinesh later revealed that she was struggling with her mental and physical health at the time and underwent elbow surgery afterward.
She made a comeback in 2022, winning a bronze at the World Championships in Belgrade and a gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. She was also named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for her protest against former WFI president BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faced allegations of sexual harassment from several female wrestlers.