Vinesh Phogat, heartbroken after failing to secure a medal at the Paris Olympics due to a failed weigh-in, has retired from wrestling
Vinesh Phogat returned heartbroken from the Paris Olympics after being denied a medal following a failed weigh-in ahead of her gold-medal match. More than a month after that episode, which also forced Vinesh to announce her retirement from the sport, she joined Congress to launch her career in politics.Vinesh weighed 100gm over her freestyle category of 50kg and was thus eliminated from the Paris Games after reaching the final. Her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a joint silver medal was also dismissed.The drastic efforts to cut down weight ahead of her final led to dehydration, for which she had to be hospitalized.The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha visited Vinesh at the hospital to show solidarity and had a photo clicked with Vinesh on the hospital bed.
The image was posted on social media and garnered a lot of attention.However, Vinesh has accused that it was all part of politics being played by the IOA chief.”I don’t know what support I got there,” said Vinesh in an interview to AJIT ANJUM CHANNEL”PT Usha madam visited me at the hospital.
One photo was clicked…Like you said, in politics a lot happens behind closed doors. Similarly, politics happened there (in Paris) as well. That’s why I was heartbroken. Otherwise a lot of people are saying ‘don’t leave wrestling’. For what should I continue! There is politics everywhere,” she added.Talking further about that photograph, the multiple Commonwealth Games gold medallist accused that the image was clicked without her notice and was pushed on social media as an act of posturing.”You are on a hospital bed, where you don’t know what’s happening in life outside, you are going through one of the worst phases of your life.
At that place, just to show everyone you are standing with me, aap bina bataye photo kheench rahe ho, fir social media pe daal ke bol rahe ho hum saath mein khade hain (clicked a photo without telling me and then putting it on social media to say you are standing with me).”That’s not how you show support. What was it more than (posturing)!”
