New Delhi: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat received a grand welcome at her native village of Balali in Haryana after returning home from Paris. Vinesh was honoured with a gold medal in a felicitation ceremony organised for her in her village following her heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024. The 29-year-old missed out on a medal at the Paris Games after being disqualified for being overweight.
Vinesh, who became the first Indian woman to reach a wrestling final at the Olympics, was disqualified from the competition ahead of her gold medal match in the women’s 50kg freestyle category. Vinesh failed to make weight on the morning of her final and was found overweight by 100 grams which saw her getting barred from competing in the final against USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
Vinesh was stripped of her assured silver medal and was placed last following her disqualification. The Indian wrestler filed an appeal in the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) to be awarded a joint silver medal for making it to the final while being in the stipulated weight category. However, her appeal was rejected by CAS on Wednesday, leaving her without a medal despite reaching the final.
Nonetheless, Vinesh received a hero’s welcome back home after arriving in Delhi from Paris on Saturday morning. She later reached her home in her native village of Balali in Haryana where a felicitation ceremony was organised in her honour. The ceremony was attended by thousands of fans and the people of the village, who showered Vinesh with all sorts of gifts.
The Indian wrestler was also honoured with a gold medal by the villagers of Balali in the felicitation ceremony. A video of Vinesh being presented with a gold medal in her village went viral on social media.
Watch Vinesh Phogat presented gold medal in her village:
Vinesh phogat gets gold medal in her village 🏆🏆🏆🏆#vineshphogat pic.twitter.com/sCBQoaZ7EV
— Bolly Gud News (@bollygudnews) August 18, 2024
Entire village crowdfunded prize money for Vinesh Phogat
As per a report in Indian Express, the entire village of Balali came together to crowd-fund prize money for Vinesh upon her arrival home from the Paris Olympics. From the village watchman and to the members of the Fauji Bhaichara group, contributions came in all sizes for the Indian wrestler, who scripted history in Paris by becoming the first woman to reach an Olympic final in wrestling.
Vinesh was one win away from becoming India’s first female individual gold medallist in Paris. However, an ill twist of fate saw Vinesh miss out on a medal by a mere margin of 100 grams after failing in her final weigh-in on the day of her gold medal bout.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was honoured with a gold medal at her native village in Balali, Haryana after returning home from the Paris Olympics. Vinesh missed out on a medal at the Olympics after getting disqualified due to being overweight. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
