Jhajjar: Vinesh Phogat received a grand welcome on Saturday as she arrived home in Haryana's Jhajjar following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024. Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda and her uncle Mahavir Phogat joined close friends and relatives in welcoming her back.
Vinesh was greeted with garlands and a bouquet of flowers. Earlier, during a roadshow celebrating her return, Vinesh's brother Harvinder and mother Premlata expressed their happiness at the warm reception she received after the disappointment in Paris, where she became the first Indian woman to reach the final of the wrestling competition but was disqualified for breaching the weight limit.
The Haryana-born wrestler received a loud and emotional welcome at Delhi Airport, where she broke into tears during the reception. A large crowd, including wrestlers and Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, gathered to celebrate her return. Flower petals were showered on the ace wrestler, honoring her achievements at the Olympics, where she defeated Tokyo 2020 gold medalist and top seed Yui Susaki of Japan to start her campaign.
In Paris, Vinesh made history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of an Olympics. However, she was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout after being found 100 grams overweight. She was set to face Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal on August 7 but was disqualified before the final. Following her disqualification, Vinesh appealed for the silver medal in the 50kg weight category, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed her petition on Wednesday.
On August 8, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling in an emotional post. "Maa kushti (wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness," she wrote.
