Vinesh Phogat: From Protests to Podium, A True Champion’s Journey

“A torn ligament. A lower weight category. An unbeaten world champion. Nothing stands in her way.” Abhinav Bindra summed up Vinesh Phogat’s hurdles aptly, shortly after she became the first Indian woman wrestler to book a final berth at the Olympics. Bindra, India’s first-ever individual gold medallist, though missed mentioning another hurdle. One that saw Vinesh Phogat getting shoved, pushed, and dragged on the streets of the National Capital in May last year.

Far from the wrestling mats, Vinesh and her fellow wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, were fighting a different battle. They were demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused by the wrestlers of sexually harassing several female athletes, stirring a nationwide controversy.

The fight was not easy as the wrestlers stationed themselves at Jantar Mantar. What followed were visuals that moved an entire nation. Police used force to detain the protesting wrestlers, prompting top athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, to voice their support. “I feel saddened to see this. There has to be a better way to deal with this,” Neeraj wrote on social media.

The WFI was finally suspended, and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh did not stand in the elections, though Sanjay Singh, elected as the new president of the WFI, also met with resistance.

Return to the Mat

Vinesh Phogat finally returned to the wrestling mat in February 2024, winning the nationals in the 55kg category. Then, in an unusual move in March, she competed in two categories – 50kg and 53kg – and emerged as the winner in the lighter division in the selection trials for the Asian Wrestling Championships and Asian Olympic Games qualifier.

In April, Vinesh earned an Olympic quota in the women’s 50kg category as she entered the final at the Asian Olympic qualifier.

Four months later, Vinesh was standing on the cusp of history. She had already delivered Japanese world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki her first loss in her international career. She then defeated 2018 European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine before getting the better of Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba.

A Champion’s Resolve

In hindsight, none of Vinesh Phogat’s opponents at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris stood a chance. Sure, they were among the best wrestlers, world and Olympic champions, all driven by whatever drives Olympic athletes to succeed. But Vinesh was an unstoppable force driven by a superior power: she was fueled not by the desire for mere sporting success but by fighting for a larger cause. For her own reputation, for that of her fellow wrestlers who took on the system with her, and for all athletes who had faced similar situations.

Even so, her achievements were remarkable: In the space of seven hours, she beat the reigning Olympic and world champion, a two-time European Games medallist, and a Pan-American Games champion to go where no Indian woman wrestler had gone before: the Olympic final, with an assured medal.

Tactical Brilliance

As incredible as those wins were, her strategies were equally impressive. She had three carefully charted out strategies for her three opponents, beginning with the stunning win over Yui Susaki – unbeaten in her international career – via a defensive masterclass. Vinesh went into the bout looking at it as a final. She would have a shot at the bronze even if she lost to Susaki via the repechage system, but Vinesh was there for the gold.

As she walked to the mat, she looked well – there were no sunken eyes as is the case with most wrestlers who endure grueling weight cuts the day before a competition. It was evident that Vinesh had managed her weight well – she was leaving nothing to chance.

Susaki has one of the strongest grips in her division – she practices speed skating and bouldering to strengthen her grip. But even that was not enough to get a move on Vinesh. Susaki went for a takedown on Vinesh’s right leg, the same one that was operated on last year, but Vinesh was prepared. She was in the zone, saw it coming, and lunged forward with her left leg to generate momentum and shift her weight to counter the takedown. It was a superb display of defense, not what you usually expect to see from a traditionally all-out-attack Vinesh. Susaki had never been kept quiet for so long.

With 19 seconds left, Vinesh switched gears and got on the aggressive. Susaki, frantically, darted around the mat. As she backtracked and was off-balance, Vinesh saw the moment. Twelve seconds left. She knocked Susaki onto the mat and locked her in a back hold to complete the takedown. Vinesh maintained the grapple to run down the clock and script one of the biggest upsets in Olympic wrestling history.

Fighting for the Future

Speaking to a reporter in November 2023, Vinesh said: “The only thing I have told Bajrang and Sakshi is that I will still fight. I will look him [Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh] in the eye and medal leke aungi main, tu dekh [bring back a medal and show it to him]. They both have Olympic medals, I don’t. I have a reason to fight. If I train well, I can win a medal. No one can stop me.”

On August 6, 2024, she came, she saw, she conquered. Bajrang Punia, her fellow wrestler and comrade in the trenches through the past 18 months, echoed her determination: “She told me, ‘I am fighting for the future generation of wrestlers. Not for myself; my career is done, and this is my last Olympics. I want to fight for the young women wrestlers who will come and fight for them so that they can wrestle safely. That’s why I was at Jantar Mantar, and that’s why I am here.'”

In the end, Vinesh Phogat’s journey from the streets of Delhi to the Olympic podium is a testament to her indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment to justice and excellence. She has already proven herself a champion, both on and off the mat.