Vinesh Phogat opens up about Olympics disqualification, "time wasn't on my side"

Vinesh Phogat has finally spoken out about the emotional turmoil she faced following her disqualification from the women's 50kg final at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Vinesh, who made history as the first Indian woman to reach a wrestling final at the Olympics, was disqualified on the morning of her event on August 7 due to being 100 grams over the weight limit.

Despite efforts by Vinesh and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to secure a joint silver medal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), their appeal was rejected.

After a week of silence, from August 7 to August 15, Vinesh took to X to share her thoughts in a heartfelt three-page post.

In her message, Vinesh reflected on the significance of the Paris Olympics for her. She expressed that the event held deep personal meaning, especially after her involvement in the wrestlers' protest earlier in the year.

"During the wrestlers' protest, I fought fiercely to protect the dignity of women in India and uphold the values of our Indian flag. However, when I see the pictures of me with the flag from May 28, 2023, they haunt me. I wanted to make the Indian flag soar high at these Olympics, to create a moment that truly honored its significance and restored its sanctity. I believed that doing so would be the right way to rectify what the flag and our sport had endured. I hoped to show that to my fellow Indians," Vinesh wrote in her post.

She further shared that, despite the challenges, she and her team did not give up.

"There’s so much more I could say, but words may never fully capture my experience. Perhaps I'll speak again when the time feels right. On the night of August 6 and the morning of August 7, all I want to convey is that we didn’t give up; our efforts continued, and we did not surrender. But time was not on our side," she wrote.

"That was my fate. To my team, my fellow Indians, and my family, it feels like the goal we were striving for remains unfinished, that something will always feel incomplete, and that things might never return to how they were. Under different circumstances, I could have seen myself competing until 2032, because the fighter in me and my passion for wrestling will always be there. I can’t predict what the future holds or what lies ahead on this journey, but I’m certain that I will continue to fight for what I believe in and for what is right," she added.