Boria Majumdar in Paris
At the time of writing, 9 pm Paris time, we still don’t have the operational outcome of the Vinesh Phogat hearing. What we do have, however, is an incredible effort from Aman Sehrawat, who won bronze in the 57kg freestyle wrestling at the age of 21. This medal serves as a beacon of hope for the sport, especially after what happened to Vinesh.
From the very start of the bout, Aman looked in control. Except for the first 40 seconds, always his weak point, he never gave up control of the fight. By midway in the second period, it was a done deal. With a bleeding nose, a beaming Aman promised gold in Los Angeles in 2028.
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The Aman bronze came after a day of intense drama on the Vinesh case. On the face of it, India did not have a case. If we go strictly by the rulebook, it is a done deal. But then, this is the Olympic Games, and there is always the thing about the Olympic spirit. India has put its best foot forward with the finest legal team, and it could just be that a miracle happens for Vinesh. As PT Usha told RevSportz, “We have done everything we could have. Literally everything. Now let’s hope for a positive outcome.”
Abhinav Bindra, who met Vinesh, told us that she is devastated. It is only natural when an Olympic gold medal gets taken away from you by a cruel turn of fate. 100 grams was all that separated Vinesh from the podium and her lawyers, from all accounts, have made a fairly strong case. The arbitrator listened to all parties in detail, and there were two rounds of arguments.
Harish Salve, representing Vinesh, argued for an hour and ten minutes and to quote a source, “Was very Harish Salve. He was strong and passionate.” While none of us can predict the outcome, suffice to say that India has been able to make a case from nowhere, and all of a sudden raised hope that things can just go in Vinesh’s favour. With stars like Jordan Burroughs speaking for Vinesh and with strong public sentiment in her favour, all we can do is hope.
Let’s be clear – if Vinesh is awarded the silver medal, it will be a miracle. A real miracle. But then, what is sport without miracles? Beating Yui Susaki was a miracle, and we have seen such things happen. Aman winning has added to the positive energy, and it could just be that India finishes Paris on a high. Or so we hope.
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