From being dragged on the streets to staying on pavements for 40 days, Vinesh was at the centre of Indian wrestlers’ massive protest alongside Sakshi and Bajrang Punia against the former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on sexual harassment charges, has now created history at Paris Olympics 2024.
Vinesh Phogat, after what she has been through in the last 18 months or so, out of nowhere, confirmed India’s fourth medal at the Paris Olympics in women’s 50kg category wrestling. The colour of the medal will be different as Vinesh became the first Indian female wrestler to make it to the Gold medal match and will become the seventh wrestler for India to win an Olympic medal after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya.
Vinesh had her toughest bout in the very first round as she was up against the Japanese champion and top-seed Yui Susaki, who was coming into the clash with an 82-0 record in international wrestling. Vinesh didn’t give up till the final minute and the last few seconds saw her make probably the biggest move of her career as she beat Susaki on points.
Vinesh Phogat started the day by slaying a giant and ended it by breaking a barrier. By making it to Wednesday’s final in the 50 kg category, she rose to a pedestal that no Indian woman wrestler has ever reached. After overcoming the defending champion, the so-far unbeatable Japan’s Yui Susaki, in the first round, Phogat took down Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final to be a win away from an Olympic gold.
There isn’t a direct parallel that captures Susaki’s perceived invincibility on the wrestling mat. The closest, perhaps, would be Rocky Marciano’s otherworldly run of 49 unbeaten boxing bouts. The Japanese legend’s record, however, puts a shadow on Marciano’s: she had been undefeated in 95 international matches in her entire career as a wrestler that began as a junior in 2010.
Vinesh jumped onto the match with a huge loud cry as she broke into tears. It meant so much to her more than just beating the reigning world champion. The quarter-final and the semi-final against Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzman of Cuba were relatively and figuratively child’s play for Vinesh and she has her eyes set on that Olympic Gold.
