Vinesh Phogat: From protests to Paris
Two-time Olympian, 29-year-old Vinesh Phogat is into the semi-finals of the 50kg event in wrestling at the Paris Olympics. She reached the stage earlier today by defeating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5.
That was a great achievement but what was stunning was what the she did in the previous round: In the pre-quarter-finals, she stunned the defending champion, Japan’s Yui Sasuki 3-2, one who had never lost in that weight category and had won in the previous Olympics by not conceding a single point.
Till the time 15 seconds were left for the bout to finish, Vinesh was trailing 0-2. But then, she felled Sasuki brilliantly and got three points in one go. She could believe herself, celebrating by running to her end and shouting, then hugging her coach. Sasuki wore a stunned look.
Commentators were in awe of Phogat, noting how she fought like a warrior, especially considering her protest on the streets just a year ago. That was when she, Bajranj Punia and Sakshi Malik led a months-long protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the then chief of Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexually harassing young female wrestlers.
Vinesh and others were manhandled by Delhi Police personnel, the videos and pictures of which incident went viral.
Earlier, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a severe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (knee dislocation) nearly ended her career; it led her to lose her quarter-final when she was strongly favoured to win at least one medal.
Then the Delhi protest sent her career off-track once again. But her determination never wavered as she successfully navigated the rigorous Olympic qualification process.
Every time, her resilience and unwavering spirit enabled her to make a remarkable comeback, stronger than ever.
