Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who endured one of the most heartbreaking moments in India’s Olympic history at the Paris 2024 Games, has announced her return to the wrestling mat—this time with even greater resolve, a deeper sense of purpose, and her newborn son as her biggest inspiration.
After stepping briefly into politics last year and winning the Julana Assembly seat on a Congress ticket, Vinesh has chosen once again to pursue the sport that shaped her life.
For months after Paris, questions swirled: Was this the end of her wrestling career?
Vinesh herself did not know the answer—until now.
In an emotional post, she shared the inner journey that brought her back:
“People kept asking if Paris was the end.
For a long time, I didn’t have the answer.
I needed to step away—from the mat, the pressure, the expectations, even from my own ambitions.
For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe.”
She described how she spent time reflecting on the highs, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices, and the unseen battles she fought behind the scenes.
And in that stillness, she rediscovered her truth: she still loves the sport.
“In that silence, I found something I’d forgotten—the fire never left. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise… No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat.”
Now, with renewed strength and a heart unburdened by fear, Vinesh is preparing for the next great challenge: the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
This time, however, she will not be fighting alone.
“My son is joining my team—my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to LA,” she wrote.
A Heartbreak That Shook the Nation
At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh had reached the final of the women’s 50 kg event. But on the day of the final, she failed to make weight—an outcome that not only cost her the gold medal bout but led to complete disqualification.
Her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was also rejected.
Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra called it “the most brutal day in India’s Olympic history.”
The incident broke hearts across the country and forced Vinesh to take a step back—to heal, to reflect, and to rebuild herself away from public pressure.
From Tragedy to Triumph: A New Chapter Begins
Her victory in the Haryana Assembly elections showed her strength in a completely different arena. But it is wrestling—the mat, the discipline, the fight—that continues to call her back.
And now, she returns not just as an athlete but as a mother, a champion of resilience, and a symbol of unwavering determination.
Vinesh Phogat’s story is no longer just about medals—it is about courage, about getting up after the hardest fall, and about finding one’s fire again.
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