Early Life
Born on 25 August 1994 in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India; Vinesh daughter of Rajpal Phogat and Premlata Phogat and hails from a family of wrestlers. With her sibling Priyanka Phogat and cousins Geeta Phogat, Ritu Phogat and Babita Kumari being wrestlers were trained by her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat.During the early years, her father and her uncle had to deal with opposition in their village to help Vinesh and her cousins pursue competitive wrestling begin judged to be going against the morals and values of their community.
Career Highlights
Vinesh’s wrestling career began to take shape during her teenage years. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow she won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle 48 kg category, a victory that highlighted her technical prowess also positioned her as one of India’s brightest wrestling prospects.
With a remarkable performance at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Vinesh won a bronze medal.Vinesh’s victory was significant as it marked the first time an Indian female wrestler had won a medal at the World Championships.
Overcoming Challenges
The Rio 2016 Olympics, turning point in Vinesh’s career as she entered the tournament with high expectations but faced a misfortune when she had to withdraw due to a knee injury sustained during her quarterfinal match.
Comeback was marked by a terrific performance at the 2018 Asian Games, where she won gold in the 50 kg category followed by another remarkable achievement at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, bronze medal in the 53 kg category.
Impact
Vinesh’s success contributed to the growing popularity of wrestling in India as her journey reflects the female athletes increasingly breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes changing the dynamics in Indian sports.
Conclusion
Vinesh Phogat’s journey from a village in Haryana to the global stage is a powerful narrative of determination, skill, and resilience. Phogat was disqualified for being above the stipulated weight that led to the heartbreaking exit from the Paris 2024 Olympics wrestling competition where Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from the sport yet inspiring a lot of young souls for being for aspiring athletes around the world.