Published By: Sanchari Das

Vinesh Phogat Retires Without Olympic Gold, but Her Medal Collection Tells a Winning Story

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement on Thursday, just a day after a heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris 2024 Olympic final. The 29-year-old was the first Indian female to reach an Olympic wrestling final. Her dream of gold was dashed when a morning weigh-in revealed she was 100 grammes overweight.

Despite her strong 5-0 semifinal victory over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who replaced her in the final and won silver, Vinesh could not compete with Sarah Hildebrandt, who ultimately won the gold. Though her Olympic adventure ended in disappointment, Vinesh remains a trailblazer and source of inspiration for many.

While Vinesh Phogat's dream of Olympic gold was cut short, her gold medal collection in wrestling are nothing short of remarkable:

2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (48 KG)

Phogat's wrestling journey began with success in her junior years. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she shone in the 48 kg category. She defeated Nigeria's Rosemary Nweke in the quarters and Canada's Jasmine Mian in the semis in Glasgow, Scotland.

In the final, Vinesh secured her first gold medal by overcoming England's Yana Rattigan with a score of 3-1. This win marked the start of her impressive international career and set the stage for many more achievements.

2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast (50 KG)

Her path to the Olympics continued with a berth for Rio 2016 after a win in Istanbul. Unfortunately, a knee injury in the quarterfinals dashed her medal hopes. Undeterred, Vinesh returned triumphantly at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

Competing in the 50 kg category, she dominated the round-robin format, winning every match. This performance earned her a second gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

2018 Asian Games, Jakarta (50 KG)

Phogat also succeeded at the Asian Games, taking home the gold in the 50 kg division in Jakarta in 2018. She was the first Indian female wrestler to win gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games, a historic accomplishment.

She defeated South Korea's Kim Hyung-joo in the quarterfinals and Uzbekistan's Dauletbike Yakhshimuratova in the semifinals, exacting revenge for her defeat of Sun Yanan in the round of 16. Finally, she triumphed against Yuki Irie of Japan to take home the gold. She defeated Yuki in the championship match, winning 6-2.

2021 Asian Championships, Almaty (53 KG)

Heading into the Tokyo Olympics, Phogat was unstoppable, having gone unbeaten throughout the year and clinching gold at the 2021 Asian Championships in Almaty by defeating Hsieh Meng-hsuan. Her journey to the 2016 Olympics was marked by a crushing knee injury in the quarterfinals, but she bounced back with incredible determination.

By winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games, she demonstrated her resilience. In the Asian Championships, Vinesh has consistently medaled, with four bronzes (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020), three silvers (2015, 2017, 2018), and a gold in 2021, highlighting her remarkable career.

2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham (53 KG)

Despite being seeded first in the women's 53 kg category at Tokyo 2020, Vinesh Phogat faced difficulties and didn't advance beyond the preliminaries. After the Games, she underwent elbow surgery and returned triumphantly in 2022. Vinesh won a bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade and gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham by winning all her bouts.

She dominated all her matches at the Birmingham Games to secure the top spot. Her courage and determination also led her to be named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year, partly due to her protest against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.