Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from the sport after a glorious campaign spanning over a decade. The 29-year-old declared it on social media after she exited the Paris Olympics 2024 due to disqualification for missing weight before the gold medal bout.
But even with that Olympic heartbreak of 2016, Vinesh leaves you with a series of scintillating achievements under her name. She is now considered one of the greatest-ever wrestlers produced by India: the first Indian woman to fight in three Olympics, the first to make an Olympic final, and the first to win gold at the Asian Games. She is also India’s only female wrestler with more than one world championship medal.
Olympics
2024 Paris Olympics – Final (50kg)
Vinesh’s campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics was nothing short of dramatic. She made it to the final following a thrilling 3-2 win over reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan making it her first loss after a streak of 84 consecutive matches. She then beat both Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzman to become the first-ever Indian woman to make the final of an Olympic wrestling event. But on the day of the final, she was disqualified for failing to make the weight.
2020 Tokyo Olympics – Quarterfinal (53kg)
Vinesh Phogat was seeded as the world number one for the Tokyo Olympics but fell to a bitter defeat in the quarterfinal at the hands of Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya, a two-time world champion who later took bronze.
2016 Rio Olympics – Quarterfinal: 48kg
Vinesh Phogat made her Olympic debut in Rio at 21 years of age. She was participating in the 48kg category, and during the quarterfinal match against China’s Sun Yanan, she suffered an ACL tear that forced her to withdraw from the event. She got the prestigious Arjuna Award later that year.
World Championships
2022 Belgrade Worlds – BRONZE (53kg)
Vinesh Phogat won a bronze at the World Championships in 2022 after losing the semifinal to eventual silver medal winner Batkhuyagiin Khulan of Mongolia in the first round. She won the repechage clearing two-time European champion Jonna Malmgren of Sweden.
2019 Nur-Sultan Worlds – BRONZE (53kg)Â
Her 2019 World Championships bronze came after a defeat to Japan’s Mayu Mukaida, herself a three-time world champion and Tokyo gold medallist. Vinesh Phogat sealed her place on the podium by beating Paris gold medallist Sarah Hildebrandt and three-time worlds medallist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece in the repechage.
Asian Games
2018 Jakarta – GOLD (50kg)
It was also at the 2018 Asian Games where Vinesh Phogat avenged her Rio Olympics loss by defeating Sun Yanan in the Round of 16. She went on to win gold after defeating two-time Asian champion Yuki Irie, thus becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at the Asian Games.
2014 Incheon – BRONZE (48kg)
At just 20 years old, Vinesh Phogat bagged a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games and became the third Indian woman to do so. She won the bronze through the repechage route after having lost to the three-time world champion and reigning Rio Olympics gold medallist Eri Tosaka of Japan.
Commonwealth Games
2022 Birmingham – GOLD (53kg)
From the heartbreak of Tokyo and a subsequent fall-out with the Wrestling Federation of India, to Vinesh Phogat bouncing back at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, becoming the first Indian woman to win three CWG golds.
2018 Gold Coast – GOLD (50kg)
Phogat was making a stunning comeback from her Rio injury after winning all her bouts, bring home gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
2014 Glasgow – GOLD (48kg)
Vinesh Phogat’s first big win on the international circuit came at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she won gold a month shy of her 20th birthday.
Brilliant Asian Championship Performances
Vinesh Phogat has been a consistent performer at the Asian Wrestling Championships and won medals in every edition that she participated. Her personal medals include four bronze medals (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020), three silver medals (2015, 2017, 2018) and a gold medal in 2021.
Personal Accolades and Legacy
Phogat is widely recognized for her contributions in the field of wrestling. In 2019, she became the first Indian to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award and for the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year in 2022. Vinesh was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2016 and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2020. She returned both these awards in 2023 during the wrestler protests.
With the retirement of Vinesh Phogat, one great career in Indian wrestling finally comes to an end. Her journey was one of resilience, perseverance, and unparalleled success. The type of legacy she will leave behind will motivate generations of wrestlers when she steps away from the sport.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
