Powerful performances
The series of misfortunes continues for India at the Summer Olympics, as wrestler Vinesh Phogat is likely to return empty-handed from Paris despite registering splendid victories leading up to the finals. The promise she made to her mother—Gold lana hai¬—stands broken. The wrestler who usually fights in the 53kg category failed to pull herself down to 50 kg for the finals. Phogat had the challenge to scale down a significant weight overnight, and even after all the physical activities, she was still 100 grams above 50 kg. Eventually, the Indian Olympic Association confirmed: “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class.” An assured Silver and a prospective Gold just slipped away from India’s hold, in the most unanticipated manner. The Wrestling Federation of India, however, is learnt to have filed an appeal to UWW to reconsider its decision, and IOA is backing it up.
After Phogat’s bout on July 6 night, Indian men’s hockey team missed to level the scores to 3-3 against Germany in semi-finals following the last-minute missed chance by Shamsher Singh. Prior to all this, the promising Lakshya Sen, despite excellent performance on the court, failed to win a medal. Antim Panghal’s campaign has also come to an end. The most strikingly unfortunate outcome was that for wrestler Nisha Dahiya. In the 68kg quarter final match, Dahiya was standing on the verge of victory against North Korea’s Sol Gum Pak when she was confronted with an unbearable injury—which would allow Pak to cover the huge deficit in the last 10 seconds of the contest.
Phogat’s unfortunate disqualification just rounds up these near-misses. The sombre saga for one of India’s most celebrated athletes continues. Vinesh failed to win a medal in her two previous Olympics appearances. Back in Rio Olympics 2016, Vinesh could not make it to the semi-finals following a serious knee injury that led to her defeat against China’s Sun Yanan in the women’s 48kg quarterfinal. Undeniably, her resilience, her grit has not yet translated into the outcome she is capable of producing.
Though likely returning without a medal from Paris, Vinesh has undoubtedly won the hearts of countrypersons. Producing one of the biggest upsets at Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh defeated four-time World Champion and reigning Gold medallist Yui Susaki of Japan in a spectacular contest—giving her rival the first international defeat in her 82 bouts! In the quarter final, she defeated Ukraine’s Oksana Livach by 7-5, and in the semi-finals, handed over an impeccable defeat to Cuba’s Yusneylys Gusman 5-0.
All through her Paris Olympics campaign, Vinesh proceeded like the confident, resilient fighter she is. No wonder that Tokyo Bronze medallist Bajrang Punia has dubbed her as the “lioness of India.” In a hard-hitting but honest remark, Punia forced the nation to recollect that “this girl was kicked and crushed in her own country. This girl was dragged on the streets in her country. This girl is going to conquer the world but she lost to the system in this country." Punia’s reference to the government’s disparaging response to wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief—also a BJP leader—on allegations of sexual misconduct is a mirror for Indian society and polity. If not in Paris, then in future Olympics, the ‘lioness of India’ will certainly bring medal glory to the nation. Until then, her spectacularly resilient performances at the Paris Olympics are no less a matter of pride for the nation. Her athletic prowess of the highest order deserves to be appreciated, celebrated, and felt proud of!
