Ever since India wrestler Vinesh Phogat returned to India from Paris, she has been showered with with lots of support, love and blessings. Despite she could not secure a medal in the Paris Olympics, he won the hearts of her fans.
On 19 August, the wrestler celebrated Raksha Bandhan with her brother Harvinder Phogat in their village Balali of Haryana. During the celebration, she was seen holding a bundle of ₹500 notes, following which the video has gone viral.
“I am almost 30 years old. Last year he gave me ₹500. After that this (points to a bundle of currency note). He has earned this much money only in his whole life (jokingly), which he has given to me,” IANS quoted Vinesh as saying.
Charkhi Dadri, Haryana: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat celebrates Raksha Bandhan with her brother in their village Balali pic.twitter.com/YgahqHmDPq
— IANS (@ians_india) August 19, 2024
Vinesh’s celebrated return:
From the moment Vinesh landed at the Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport on 17 August, she was greeted by hundreds of her supporters.
She was not only felicitated by her supporters and ‘khap’ panchayats in several villages, it took her almost 13 hours on Saturday cover a distance of 135 km from Delhi to Balali.
Vinesh disqualification:
Before the gold medal bout with USA’ Sarah Hildebrandt at Paris Olympics, Vinesh was disqualified from the 50kg freestyle category, as she weighed just 100 grams more than the permissible limit.
Following this, she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and also sought a silver medal. But it was dismissed by CAS on 14 August.
Before that, upset with the disqualification, she on 8 August announced her retirement.
However, on 18 August, after returning to Balali, she said she will think about whether she wants to continue wrestling, but for now she can neither confirm or deny it.
Reacting on her retirement suspense, she for the first time said, as quoted by PTI, “This incident is a deep wound, and it will take time to heal. However, the love I have received from my fellow countrymen and my village will help me heal. I will think about whether I want to continue wrestling, but for now, I cannot say what I will do. The courage I have received from people will guide me in the right direction.”