Former India wrestler Vinesh Phogat arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, following her disqualification from the just-concluded Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, August 17, with thousands gathered outside to welcome her. Vinesh’s family members, including her mother, had arrived at the airport hours before the wrestler’s arrival. In view of Vinesh Phogat coming to India on Saturday, security was tightened at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Vinesh is also scheduled to leave for her village, Balali, later in the day.

Upon her arrival, thousands, including fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, gathered at the airport to welcome her. In a viral video, Vinesh broke down in tears seeing her family and close ones.

“I thank all the countrymen, I am very fortunate,” said Vinesh.

Vinesh had assured India of a medal after reaching the final of the Women’s 50kg event at the Paris Olympics 2024. However, in a heartbreaking twist of tale, Vinesh was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight during the second weigh-in on the day of her gold-medal match. She had also requested to be awarded a joint silver medal, but her plea was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

On the eve of her arrival in India, Vinesh had expressed her deep sorrow over missing out on the Olympic podium, linking her personal disappointment to the broader struggle for women’s rights in India, which she had championed in her protests against the former wrestling federation chief.

In a three-page letter posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Friday night, Phogat hinted at a possible return to the sport in the future, leaving the door slightly ajar despite her earlier decision to retire.

The circumstances leading to Phogat’s disqualification have been detailed by her coach, Woller Akos, who described the intense efforts made to help her meet the weight requirement. Akos, who coached Phogat during the Paris Games, revealed in a now-deleted Facebook post that the night before the final weigh-in, the wrestler underwent a grueling and dangerous weight-cutting process.

“After the semi-final, 2.7 kg of excess weight was left; we exercised for one hour and twenty minutes, but 1.5 kg still remained. Later, after 50 minutes of sauna, not a drop of sweat appeared on her. There was no choice left, and from midnight to 5:30 in the morning, she worked on different cardio machines and wrestling moves, about three-quarters of an hour at one go, with two-three minutes of rest. Then she started again. She collapsed, but somehow we got her up, and she spent an hour in the sauna,” Akos wrote in a now deleted Facebook post, adding, “I don’t intentionally write dramatic details, but I only remember thinking that she might die.”

(With IANS Inputs)

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