Vinesh Phogat wants wrestlers from Balali to break records, achieve bigger success

NEW DELHI: Vinesh Phogat expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming reception she received upon returning from the Paris Olympics. She stated that it would bring her immense pride if she had the opportunity to train female wrestlers from her village, Balali, and witness them surpass her own achievements.
During her journey from Delhi to Balali, Vinesh was honored by her supporters and 'khap' panchayats in numerous villages along the way.The 135km trip took nearly 13 hours to complete on Saturday due to the outpouring of support.


Prior to her village-to-village celebration, a large crowd of supporters had assembled outside the IGI airport to give Vinesh a resounding welcome.
The wrestler had reached the 50kg final at the Olympics but was disqualified for exceeding the weight limit, causing a significant uproar both in India and the international wrestling community.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Vinesh's appeal, upholding her disqualification.
Despite the late hour of her arrival in her hometown, the 29-year-old wrestler was greeted with a heartfelt reception. Neighbors and friends welcomed her with a mix of emotions, shedding tears of joy and admiration for her bravery.

Following an exhausting trip originating in Paris, Vinesh spoke to the assembled well-wishers before retiring for the night.
The accomplished athlete, who has earned two medals at the World Championships, expressed her hope that a future wrestler from Balali would surpass her achievements in the sport.
"It would be disappointing if no wrestler emerged from this village. We have paved the way, given hope with our achievements. I request you all to support the women in this village. They need your support, hope and trust if they have to replace us in future," Vinesh said, as quoted by PTI.
"They can achieve a lot. All they need is your support. I will always be indebted to this nation, this village for giving me so much love and respect.
"Whatever I have learnt in wrestling, I don't know if that is god-gifted or my hard work but whatever I have I would like to share with my sisters from this village and I wish they achieve greater heights than me.
"I can then say with pride that she is from my village and I have trained her. I want that (my) records are broken by wrestlers from this village. Thank you all for staying up so late in the night for me."
Vinesh, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Asian Games champion, and winner of eight Asian Championships medals, stated before arriving in Balali that her battle against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) would persist.
"I want to thank all the people who supported us in our struggle. Life itself is a struggle. Our fight has not ended and it will continue," said Vinesh.
Later addressing the press in Balali, she reiterated the resolve.
"This Olympic medal is a deep wound. I don't know how much time it would take to heal. I don't know if I would pursue wrestling or not but the kind of courage I got today, I want to use that in the right direction," she added.
"We have been fighting a battle for one year. It will continue and by God's grace, the truth will prevail," she said in a very brief interaction.
During their sit-in at Jantar Mantar, Vinesh, along with Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, spent several months protesting on the streets.
They accused the then WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, of sexually harassing female wrestlers. The trio was evicted when they attempted to march towards the new Parliament building.
The case against Brij Bhushan is currently being heard by a Delhi court.
Vinesh mentioned that the warm welcome she received upon her arrival would give her the courage to pick up the pieces and move forward with her life.
"As I got love from my fellow Indians, my village and my family members, it would give me some courage to make this wound heal. Maybe, I could return to wrestling," said the 29-year-old Vinesh.
"Missing the Olympic medal is the biggest wound in my life. 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, I want to use that in the right direction," she added.
Vinesh expressed uncertainty, saying she doesn't know if she "deserves so much love and respect."
"But I feel extremely lucky to be born in this village. I would always fight for the honour of the women and of this village."
Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after her disqualification.
In an emotional post on social media, Vinesh shared her childhood dream, the hardships she faced after losing her father, and also put on record the contribution made by people in her extraordinary journey.
However, she did not mention her uncle Mahavir Phogat, something that irked her cousin sisters Geeta and Babita.
They expressed their disappointment in veiled social media posts.
"The result of deeds is simple. Deceit gets deceit, if not today then tomorrow," Geeta wrote on 'X' in Hindi and re-posted several comments that questioned why Vinesh forgot to mention her uncle, who initiated her into the sport.
Geeta's husband Pawan Saroha, also a wrestler, reminded Vinesh about Mahavir.
"You have written very well but perhaps today you have forgotten your uncle Mahavir Phogat. Who started your wrestling career. May god give you pure wisdom," wrote Saroha.
"Every success is a defeat if the sole purpose is to bring everybody down," Babita wrote on 'X' on Saturday.