In the annals of the sporting history of women athletes, it will be impossible to find a woman athlete with a mightier heart and resolve than 29-year-old Vinesh Phogat. She has faced several adverse circumstances that would have broken down even one’s will to live, proving that she is a very successful street fighter and extremely competent in the sport of her choice. She reached the final 50 kg wrestling bout at the Paris Olympics.

Unfortunately for her and the country, she was disqualified on the morning of the bout for gold for being overweight by 100 grams. A day before the disqualification, on Tuesday, 6th August, she had made history. She beat Japan’s Yui Susaki, a four-time world champion who won gold in the last Olympics without losing a single point. And that too within a year after the knee surgery. However, the surgery was not the biggest hurdle for Vinesh; it was the Indian state.

That Vinesh is returning to India without a medal from the Paris Olympics is of no great consequence. She has already proved her mettle on and off the wrestling arena. After her disqualification before the gold medal bout, Vinesh declared in Paris that she had decided to retire from wrestling.

But simultaneously, Vinesh declared with determination, “I am fighting for the future generation of wrestlers. Not for myself, but 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 is why I was in Jantar Mantar, and that is why I am here.”

Following the disqualification, many wrote in solidarity to Vinesh. American Jordan Burroughs, six-time World Championship gold medalist, following the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat, demanded that the United World Wrestling (UWW) body change the rules governing wrestling at the Olympics and award the Silver Medal to Vinesh Phogat. Jordan is also considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time.

However, Vinesh will return empty-handed, as UWW rules nullify all previous results if a wrestler fails the weigh-in process at any stage. Vinesh announced her decision to retire from wrestling by saying she had no strength to continue. Addressing Premlata, her mother, Vinesh, wrote in a post on X, “Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost…”

“I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me),” she added. Vinesh’s experience with the Olympic games has been painful, starting her debut in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. After suffering a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament tear in her quarterfinal bout she had to be stretchered out. She was 21 at that time and sobbed bitterly through that ordeal.

She worked hard and rebuilt herself over the next four years, making it to the Tokyo Games, which were held during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she was knocked out in the quarterfinal bout.

Her build-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics was controversial and very tumultuous. She was at the Jantar Mantar for over a month protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan, President of the Wrestling Federation of India’s sexual misconduct and the government’s inaction on the charges against him.

Vinesh Phogat used to fight in the 53 kg category. But that spot for the Paris Olympics went to Antim Panghal. Vinesh was protesting at Jantar Mantar for the safety of women wrestlers and had to choose 50kg, leading to the 100-gram overweight heartbreak at the final bout for the gold medal.