Balali (Haryana). Vinesh Phogat is overwhelmed by the grand welcome she received on her return home from the Paris Olympics. The Indian female wrestler has said that it would be a matter of pride for her if she could train the women wrestlers of her village Balali and make them more successful than herself. Vinesh, who was disqualified due to overweight after reaching the 50 kg final at the Olympics, was given a rousing welcome when she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. Vinesh had appealed against her disqualification in the Sports Arbitration but its ad hoc division rejected it.
While on her way from Delhi to her native village Balali, Vinesh Phogat was given a rousing welcome by her supporters and Khap Panchayats. It took her about 13 hours to cover a distance of 135 km. She reached her village at midnight. The villagers gave her a rousing welcome. Vinesh was very tired due to the long journey from Paris to here, but despite this she addressed her fans. Vinesh, who has won medals twice in the World Championships, expressed hope that a player from the village will carry forward her legacy and achieve more success than her.
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'I want him to achieve more than me'
Vinesh Phogat said, 'I sincerely wish that someone from the village takes my legacy forward and breaks my records. If I can take the women wrestlers of my village forward, it will be my biggest achievement. If no wrestler emerges from this village, it will be disappointing. I request all of you to support the women of the village. If they have to take our place, they will need your help and support. Whatever I have learned in wrestling, I don't know whether it is God's gift or my hard work, but whatever I have, I want to share it with my sisters of this village. I want them to achieve more than me.'
'Thank you all'
Vinesh said, 'Then I can proudly say that she is from my village and I have trained her. I want a wrestler from my village to break my record. Thank you all for staying awake so late for me.' After being disqualified, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling. She has won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and is also the Asian Games champion. She has won eight medals at the Asian Championships.
'Our fight is not over yet'
Earlier, Vinesh said that her fight against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the betterment of Indian wrestling will continue and hoped that the truth will prevail. Vinesh said, 'Our fight is not over. The fight will continue and I pray to God that the truth prevails.' Vinesh and her fellow Olympians Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have been protesting against the WFI and its former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for over a year over the alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers.
'Missing an Olympic medal was the biggest setback of my life'
Six wrestlers including Vinesh sat on a dharna at Jantar Mantar last year demanding action against the former WFI president. Vinesh also said that the way she was given a grand welcome has inspired her to move forward. The 29-year-old wrestler said, 'The love I got from my countrymen, my village and family members will help me overcome this setback. I can make a comeback in wrestling. Missing out on an Olympic medal is the biggest setback of my life. I don't know how long it will take me to recover from this. I don't know whether I will make a comeback in wrestling or not but I want to use the courage I have got today in the right direction.'
I am fortunate that I was born in this village.
Vinesh said that she does not know whether she deserves such an honor or not. She said, 'I am lucky that I was born in this village. I will always fight for the honor of women and the village.' However, Vinesh did not mention her uncle Mahavir Phogat in her post and address on social media, which angered her cousins Geeta and Babita. They expressed their disappointment in social media posts. Geeta wrote on Instagram, 'The fruit of karma is simple. 'Chal ka phal chhal' (deception will be deception, if not today then tomorrow).'
'You forgot your uncle Mahavir Phogat'
Geeta's husband Pawan Saroha, who is also a wrestler, reminded Vinesh of Mahavir. Saroha wrote, 'Vinesh, you have written very well but perhaps today you have forgotten your uncle Mahavir Phogat, who started your wrestling career. May God give you wisdom.' Babita wrote, 'Every success is a defeat whose sole purpose is to humiliate everyone.'
tag: 2024 Paris Olympics, paris olympics, paris olympics 2024, Vinesh Phogat
first published : August 18, 2024, 7:22 pm IST