India's famous wrestler Vinesh Phogat made an announcement on Friday, December 12, that she would return to the ring and revive her Olympic dreams. Vinesh Phogat had retired from the sport after the Paris Olympic controversy, as she was not given a chance to win an Olympic medal despite making it to the finals. Vinesh Phogat had a shocking disqualification on the morning of the gold medal match as she had exceeded the weight limit by 100 grams, thus snuffing out her chance of making Olympic history as India’s first woman wrestler who would be competing at an Olympic final.
Vinesh shared in an Instagram message that these past 18 months have been an interim period for her, wherein she attempted to recover from what she labeled as ‘the most painful experience’ in her athletic career. During her interlude, Vinesh entered politics as well and won a seat from Julana within the Haryana Assembly Elections with an impressive difference of 6,000 votes. Non-athletically, life had more moments to offer as she and her husband Somvir Rathee, an active wrestler, were blessed with a son in July 2025.
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Vinesh’s association with the Olympic Games has been marked with ups and downs. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Vinesh suffered a knee injury in the quarterfinals and had no option but to withdraw. At Tokyo Olympics 2021, Vinesh began as the number 1 wrestler in the world but suffered an unexpected exit at the quarterfinals. Paris 2024 seemed to be an Olympic where Vinesh could have created history. Vinesh put up an incredible display at the 50kg event, winning against Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine, and Pan American championship titleholder Yusneylis Guzman. But her disqualification on the eve of the finals created a stir in Indian sports.
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The controversy triggered a national discussion on weight-cutting procedures and a support system that should be implemented. Vinesh Phogat filed an appeal with United World Wrestling on grounds of some procedural impropriety. But her appeal was rejected. She then took it up with Court of Arbitration for Sport, demanding an extraordinary reinstatement so that she could participate in contesting the medal. Weeks passed with extensive sessions at CAS, and eventually, they reiterated UWW’s stand and upheld it.
Extremely distraught, Vinesh announced her retirement barely weeks after the Games, labeling it as “the most devastating chapter” of her life. The affair also brought India’s athletic set-ups and accountability frameworks within the wrestling community into focus again. Months would follow as Vinesh took the opportunity to heal. But with her comeback a certainty, Vinesh Phogat will soon be ready to fulfill an uncompleted dream that has encapsulated her entire career.