Vinesh Phogat returned from the Paris Olympics on Saturday morning around 10 am and it took over 12 hours for her to reach her village in the Charkhi Dadri district as people swarmed the highway en route to show their support for the wrestler whose Paris Olympics campaign ended in a heartbreak.
Vinesh had tears in her eyes seeing thousands of people at the airport to welcome her. With garlands around her neck and fellow wresters Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik by her side, the adulation never stopped until she arrived home, where it reached a crescendo.
The three-time Olympian understandably feels robbed of a medal at the Paris Games, after she was disqualified on the day of her 50kg freestyle gold-medal match for being 100gm overweight. Heartbroken, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling the next day and then suffered another jolt when her appeal for a joint silver medal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
Vinesh Phogat greeted with love upon return from Olympics setback
"I just want to say that missing the Olympic medal is the biggest wound in my life," she said, as quoted by PTI, upon reaching her village late on Saturday night.
"I don't know how much time it would take to heal this wound, I don't know if I would pursue wrestling or not, but the kind of courage I got today (Saturday), I want to use that in the right direction," said Vinesh, acknowledging the love and support of his fans, family and friends.
The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist, who has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and two World Championship bronze, said the kind of welcome she has received despite the setback, it has given her a lot of courage.
"As I got love from my fellow Indians, my village and my family members, I guess I would get some courage to make this wound heal. Maybe, I could return to wrestling," she added.
The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less