NEW DELHI, Dec 12— Wrestling star Vinesh Phogat said her decision to reverse her retirement stemmed from months of reflection after a turbulent year marked by Olympic disqualification, political responsibilities and the birth of her first child.
“People kept asking if Paris was the end,” she wrote in a message to fans. “For a long time, I didn’t have the answer.”
Phogat said she needed distance from competition to understand the emotional toll of her journey. “I took time to understand the weight of my highs, my heartbreaks, my sacrifices — even the versions of me the world never saw,” she said. “And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth: I still love this sport. I still want to compete.”
Her 2024 Olympic campaign ended in controversy when she was removed from the 50kg final for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams. The CAS later rejected her appeal for a shared silver medal, prompting her retirement announcement.
The setback pushed her to enter public life. She won the Julana assembly seat in Haryana, becoming one of the few elite Indian athletes to transition directly into politics.
But Phogat said the absence of wrestling left a void. “The discipline, the routine, the fight — it’s in my system,” she said. “No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat.”
She now plans to begin training for the 2028 Los Angeles Games with renewed intent, strengthened, she said, by the birth of her son. “I’m stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that’s unafraid and a spirit that refuses to bow,” she said.
