Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, who had previously announced her retirement following the Paris Olympics in 2024, was recently seen training in a video she shared on social media. This marked her first training session since the emotional experience in Paris.

At 30 years old, Vinesh made her mark in Olympic wrestling history by defeating Japan's Yui Susaki in her first match. This victory was particularly noteworthy since Susaki came into the match with an impressive 82-0 unbeaten streak, making Vinesh’s win one of the most surprising upsets in recent wrestling history. She went on to defeat Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-finals, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic finals.

Vinesh's dreams took a hit on the morning of the big final against Sarah Hildebrandt from the USA when she got disqualified for being overweight, missing the qualification limit by just 100 grams.

After Vinesh's disqualification, Lopez stepped in for her in the final, but Hildebrandt ended up taking home the gold. According to the United World Wrestling (UWW) rules, Vinesh was placed last. She did try to appeal to the CAS for a joint silver medal, but that was turned down.

Phogat expressed her frustration, saying, “Women can’t lose more than 3 kg in a day when you’re at peak fitness because our body fat percentage is already low. Men can manage it, but we can’t because our bodies hold onto water. All the women athletes were worried about the weight cut on the second day. At the Games Village, at least 50 athletes from various sports came up to me and said this was unfair.”

After the tough experience in Paris, a devastated Vinesh decided to retire from wrestling and dive into politics. She joined the Congress party and won a seat as an MLA in the Haryana Assembly elections for the Julana constituency.

“You have to get involved in the system. Brij Bhushan is still around because he has political power. We need to be powerful too. If we don’t have that, all our struggles over the past two years will be for nothing,” Vinesh explained her choice to enter politics.

“If you’re stepping into the chaotic world of politics, you should align with those who have had your back. When we were protesting, the Congress showed us a lot of respect,” she added.

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