New Delhi: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat turned emotional and broke down in tears after she returned home from Paris to a grand reception at the Delhi airport on Saturday, August 17. Vinesh returned home after extending her stay in Paris due to her appeal for a joint silver medal which was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics.
It was a tumultuous week for Vinesh, who waited in Paris anxiously to learn about her fate after appealing for a joint silver medal in the CAS. The 29-year-old scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach a wrestling final at the Olympics in Paris. However, she was denied a chance to compete in the gold medal match and stripped of her assured silver after getting disqualified due to being overweight.
Vinesh was found overweight by 100 grams in the final weigh-in on the morning of her gold medal bout against USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the women’s 50kg freestyle category. Despite returning home without a medal, Vinesh’s heroics at the Paris Olympics ensured she got a roaring reception from her fans, family and fellow wrestlers, who were present at the Delhi airport to celebrate her arrival.
Vinesh was welcomed back by Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia at the airport. The duo were also alongside the 29-year-old spearheading the wrestlers’ protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh last year. Sakshi and Bajrang welcomed Vinesh with a hug as the 29-year-old broke down in tears in what was an emotional moment for the trio.
Congress MP Deepender Hooda and Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh were also present at the Delhi airport to welcome Vinesh back home. The Indian wrestler was welcomed with loud cheers from her supporters and couldn’t control her emotions after the grand reception.
Watch Vinesh Phogat breaks down on her return to India after Paris heartbreak:
VINESH PHOGAT in tears after the huge reception from the family, mates & fans at Delhi. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Rk46khX5oz
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 17, 2024
#WATCH | Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat breaks down as she arrives at Delhi’s IGI Airport from Paris after participating in the #Olympics2024Paris. pic.twitter.com/T6LcZzO4tT
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2024
#WATCH | Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat receives a warm welcome at Delhi’s IGI Airport
Congress MP Deepender Hooda, wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshee Malikkh and others welcomed her. pic.twitter.com/rc2AESaciz
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2024
No Olympic silver medal for Vinesh Phogat
There was a glimmer of hope for Vinesh after her appeal in the CAS for a shared silver medal following her disqualification at the Paris Olympics 2024. However, the CAS rejected the Indian wrestler’s appeal after delaying the verdict thrice. CAS ruled in favour of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UWW (United World Wrestling) in its operative verdict.
Nonetheless, it was an eventful Paris Olympics campaign for Vinesh, who recorded three back-to-back wins on Day 1 of her event to storm into the final. She stunned ‘the undefeated’ Yui Susaki of Japan, who was the defending Olympic champion in the women’s 50kg category before beating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarter-final and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final.
With three back-to-back wins, she scripted history by becoming the first Indin female wrestler to reach an Olympic final and was one step away from winning the elusive gold medal. However, a twist of ill fate saw her miss out on the medal by a whisker after disqualification due to an extra 100 grams of weight.
Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification but she hinted at her comeback in a long post on social media on Friday. It remains to be seen if the 29-year-old will return to the mat once again.
Vinesh Phogat broke down in tears as she receieved a grand welcome at the Delhi airport following her return from Paris. Vinesh missed out on a medal despite making it to the final after being disqualified from the competition. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
