Vinesh Phogat is a former wrestler and Congress candidate from Haryana's Julana constituency. Phogat won three back-to-back gold medals at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG). She won the gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games. She defeated Yui Susaki, the reigning Olympic champion, in the 2024 Paris Olympics to become the first international wrestler and the first Indian woman wrestler to make it to the Olympic final. However, on the second day of her competition, she weighed 100 grams more than the allowed limit and was disqualified. She announced her retirement after her disqualification. She is facing Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Captain Yogesh Bairagi and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Kavita Dalal in Julana in the 2024 Haryana Assembly polls.
Read MoreWrestlers Protest Highlights: India's top wrestlers, including Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and world championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, staged a protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)
Asian Games Gold Medalist Vinesh Phogat has accused WFI President to have exploited women's while she also has received death threats
Vinesh also showed dominance in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She won all her three bouts in the nordic system.
Vinesh Phogat had earlier won a Bronze medal in the World Wresting championships in 2019. She had defeated two time medallist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece to clinch the Bronze.
The 27-year-old Phogat scripted history by becoming the 1st Indian woman to win Gold at both CWG & Asian Games. She also became the 1st Indian woman to bag 3 consecutive Gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The 27-year-old reigning Asian champion had pulled out of the World Championship trials on August 31 after competing in her opening bout.
All eyes were on Vinesh, who was suspended by the WFI earlier this month for indiscipline before being let off with a warning, but she looked vulnerable from the beginning.
When Vinesh was asked about her experience in Tokyo where she made a shock quarterfinal exit.
The PM told Vinesh that emotions of "self-anger" and "dejection" needed to be avoided in what could prove to be a vital pep talk for the 26-year-old.
Vinesh, who exited from the Tokyo Games following her shock quarterfinal defeat, was suspended by the WFI for not staying and training with her Indian teammates and for sporting singlet of her personal sponsor.
Vinesh was suspended by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on grounds of not training with the Indian team and also not following training the guidelines. She also faced backlash for not wearing the team jersey.
Vinesh Phogat has opened up on her grueling experience during the Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the quarterfinal of the 53kg event.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) 'temporarily suspended' star grappler Vinesh Phogat for indiscipline during her forgettable Tokyo Olympics campaign.
Vinesh was knocked out 3-9 by Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus at the Makuhari Messe Hall on Thursday morning.
Vanesa, the reigning European champion, executed her strategy perfectly as Vinesh could not find a way to wriggle out of Vanesa's headlocks.
Indian men's hockey team will aim for their first Olympic medal in 41 years on Thursday while wrestler Ravi Dahiya will seek the nation's second individual gold
Wrestling is one sport which promised at least three podium finishes and anything less than that will be a below par show, irrespective of the colour of the medal.
Vinesh were to reach Tokyo on Tuesday night but she was stopped at the Frankfurt Airport before boarding the connecting flight to the Japanese capital.
Vinesh, seen as a gold medal hopeful, will compete in the women's freestyle 53kg category. Her first match is scheduled for August 5
The last time Vinesh Phogat faced a defeat was at the Asian Championship semifinals in February 2020, where she had to settle for a bronze.
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