In Frames: Vinesh Phogat’s never-ending fight

GRowing in Balali, a small village about 100 kilometres from Delhi, Vinesh Phogat could hardly have imagined that she would one day find herself on the world stage. The third child of a bus driver, she has had a life of struggle. Her father was murdered when she was a child. Her mother battled cancer soon after. Ms Phogat would have her own very public battles — both on and off the mat.

Trained as a wrestler by her uncle Mahavir Phogat, she was once considered one of the Phogat wrestling family — an understudy to cousins Geeta and Babita — before eventually carving her own niche as one of India’s best wrestlers. She has won two medals at the World Championships, three golds at the Commonwealth and one gold at the Asian Games, a feat no woman has ever achieved. Perhaps her most significant battle was fought on the streets of New Delhi, where she teamed up with wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik to take on the Wrestling Federation of India and its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing the latter of sexual exploitation. It was a fight not just for herself, but for the safety of female athletes across the country.

She continued her battle with the federation even as she competed for the third time at the Paris Olympics. And while her march to a title fell short by the narrowest and cruelest of margins, no one can say that Vinesh Phogat did not emerge victorious in the end.

Photo: ANI

Dismissed: Vinesh looks dejected after being disqualified from the women’s 50kg wrestling event at the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight. Dismissed: Vinesh looks dejected after being disqualified from the women’s 50kg wrestling event at the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight.

Photo: Reuters

Moments of glory: Vinesh reacts after his semi-final win over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez during the Paris Olympics on August 6, 2024.

Photo: RV Moorthy

Through the pain: An injured Vinesh arrives in a wheelchair to receive the Arjuna Award from then President of India Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2016.

Photo: Reuters

Fallen warrior: Vinesh is carried off the field after sustaining an injury during the quarter-final against China’s Sun Yanan at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Trouble off the mat: Vinesh and fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat wrestle after being detained by security personnel near the residence of the Wrestling Federation of India chief in New Delhi during a protest in New Delhi on May 28, 2023.

Photo: PTI

Homecoming of a hero: Vinesh is welcomed upon her arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after the Paris Olympics.

Photo: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Warm welcome: Vinesh received accolades from celebrities and fans upon her return to India.

Photo: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Inspirational figure: A banner of Vinesh displayed at her hometown Balali in Haryana.

Photo: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Tears flow: Vinesh gets emotional with her mother and wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia as she arrives at the airport in New Delhi.

Photo: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

People’s Champion: Vinesh has said she is ‘grateful to the people of the country’ for the warm welcome and blessings showered on her after the Paris Olympics