On Tuesday, Vinesh Phogat created history at the Olympics in Paris by becoming the first Indian woman to get to the wrestling final. She defeated Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba’s to guarantee herself at least a silver medal. This will be India’s fourth medal in Paris; the previous three were won by shooters.
VINESH PHOGAT WITH HER MOTHER, CREDIT– THE INDIAN EXPRESS
With a stunning late takedown to win 3-2 over four-time world and reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan in their inaugural 50-kilogram division bout, Phogat began her campaign on an incredible note. Susaki fell for the first time in 83 fights
However, Vinesh’s job did not end there. She defeated Oksana Livach of Ukraine 7-5 in her quarterfinal match, and then defeated Lopez in her semifinal to become the first Indian woman to compete in an Olympic final.
At the stadium, Phogat made an emotional video call to her mother after the historic semifinal victory. Her mother started crying as the Indian wrestler gave them both thumbs up and kisses. “Gold lana hai, Gold”! exclaimed emotional Phogat during the call.
For Phogat, it’s been quite the voyage. In 2016, during her Olympic quarterfinal, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear and had to be carried out on a stretcher. She lost in the 53kg category quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games later in 2021. And before Phogat could even begin to heal from the devastating defeat, she was faced with off-field issues. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) suspended the 29-year-old Haryana native after she was charged with misconduct during the Tokyo Olympics. She thought about retiring because of the unrest off the field, but she decided to fight back against the system by going up against the previous WFI chief with the help of grapplers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia. The legal struggle hasn’t ended yet; Antim Panghal’s fetched the Paris cut in 53kg category following Phogat’s absence from the World Championships which had an impact on her career as well. She eventually dropped to the 50kg division, though, and made it to the Olympics for the third time in a row.
On Wednesday, Phogat will compete for the gold medal against American Sarah Hildebrandt.