Indian wrestlers with Vinesh Phogat
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was given a grand welcome on her return home in New Delhi on Saturday. Thousands of fans and supporters gathered outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) and showed their solidarity with her. This welcome was special for Vinesh because she had performed brilliantly in the recent Paris Olympics, but she was disqualified just before her gold medal match. Due to which she could not win the medal, but now she is not sad about losing this medal.
Vinesh Phogat missed the medal
On August 6, Vinesh Phogat created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the Olympics and made the country proud. However, the very next day, before the final of the 50 kg freestyle wrestling, she was found to be 100 grams overweight during the weight check. Due to this, she was excluded from the final and her dream of winning a medal was shattered. After this decision, Vinesh announced retirement, but later she decided to challenge this decision and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for the joint silver medal. However, this appeal was rejected on Wednesday.
Vinesh got emotional
On Saturday, Vinesh got emotional seeing the tremendous support she received from her fans at the Delhi airport. Her supporters garlanded her heavily. She then left for her native village Balali in Haryana in an open jeep. On the way, Vinesh prayed at a temple in Dwarka, Delhi and then continued her journey towards Balali. She was accompanied by a large group of her fans, who were showing their solidarity with her.
On reaching her village, Vinesh thanked her supporters and said that even though she did not get the gold medal, the love and respect she got from her people is more important to her than 1,000 gold medals. She said that this love gives her the strength to move forward. However, after being disqualified, Vinesh also said that she is now unsure about her future, but she still has the passion for wrestling. She said that under different circumstances, she can compete till 2032, but now things may not be the same.
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