S Kannan in Paris
Vinesh Phogat was on fire on the mat. The Indian tigress tore the form book to shreds and will now grapple for gold in the 50kg freestyle wrestling at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On Tuesday, one saw the most aggressive Vinesh take on her rivals. It began with a superb win against Yui Susaki, the most powerful girl from Japan. It set the tone for the day and late evening. By the time the sun set in Paris, Vinesh crushed Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, her taller Cuban opponent, 5-0 in the semi-finals. This is a historic string of performances and Vinesh has shown that her hunger is phenomenal. She will do whatever she can to win an Olympic gold medal.
How Vinesh kept herself in such good shape and was high on energy in each bout is a brilliant story. Her pain began at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The Tokyo campaign was also a disaster. But then, fighting with ferocity and not trying to be defensive even once, Vinesh won three bouts on Tuesday. She has assured India of a fourth medal in the Paris Olympics and this is indeed going to be emotional for one and all.
The 29-year-old Vinesh, who is the seen as the face of rebellion against the establishment in India, showed her anger and hunger were both intact as she stunned world champion Susaki in the last 16.
Vinesh looked down and out, as Susaki, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and multiple world champion, led initially. Then, in one stunning bit of action, Vinesh attacked Susaki and pinned her down to force a 3-2 win. It was against all odds. Susaki was stunned and so was the audience. Sure enough, Susaki asked for a review as well, but it was in vain.
How swiftly it happened was the story as Vinesh was not given a ghost of a chance against a rival who is feared in Asia. But then, Vinesh has been fighting in so many ways. Last year, when she hit the streets in protest against the Wrestling Federation of India, she became a heroine for some and villain to a few. All that is past. After that, when she returned to training and decided to cut down her weight and fight in the 50kg category. It was described as sheer madness.
But she then won the Olympic qualifiers and did everything to keep her weight in range as losing seven kilos was not easy. Some of the methods she adopted included low-calorie intake, sauna baths and reducing water intake. There could have been serious adverse effects. Vinesh did not care.
She showed that weight loss is one thing, and building stamina and strength quite another as she pounced upon Susaki to pull off the most stunning win at the Paris Olympics. She has been under the knife multiple times. Each time, she has bounced back like a yo-yo. Her coach, strengthening expert and physio have ensured that Vinesh can be in combat mode.
If beating Susaki was the high point, against Oksana Livach of Ukraine, Vinesh was even more skillful and punishing as she won 7-5 in the quarter-final. For all those who watched the bout live, this was a new Vinesh, not willing to compromise on her killer instinct. She knows this is her last chance for Olympic glory and in that journey, she shut herself from the world. No interviews, no social media posts – Vinesh ensured she trained hard, first at her own base in Haryana, and then in various places abroad.
She has been backed fully by the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association. She fought for her own support staff and the results are there to see. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Vinesh tore her anterior cruciate ligament and flew to India with her leg strapped. In Tokyo, she again failed. Last year, before the Asian Games, she again got injured and was on the operating table. To come back from these setbacks has been defining, as Vinesh has proved many points to the wrestling fans. She is, indeed, an inspiration for many. To fight on the streets and then be competitive on the mat is not easy.