'A lot of wrestling left inside Vinesh': Somvir Rathee on her retirement

Delhi: The security was heightened, camera persons scampered for the best angle, reporters readied their mics, and school kids buzzed with excitement, that's how Vinesh Phogat was welcomed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Saturday.

Disqualified for being 100 grams overweight at the time of the second weigh-in before the gold medal bout, Vinesh has been the talk of the town for the past week and arrived in the country to much fanfare.

Although the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed her case for a shared silver medal in women's 50kg wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Vinesh received a warm welcome from fans and Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.

"The love shown by fans here has subdued the pain and agony caused after the disqualification in Paris," said Somvir Rathee, former wrestler and Vinesh's husband.

Retirement is not an impulsive decision

After the disqualification, Vinesh decided to hang up her boots the very next day and announced it via social media platforms.

On Friday, the wrestler posted another statement thanking the people involved in her journey to the Paris Olympics which lasted a tough two-year period.

When asked about the retirement decision, Somvir said that the decision has been made.

"She is not returning. It is not an impulsive decision. We thought it through and discussed it multiple times," he told The Bridge.

"I know there is a lot of wrestling left inside Vinesh and she had planned till 2032. But with no support from the federation and so much struggle to get what we deserve, I think this is the right decision. This is the best she could have done and without support, it becomes tough for us," he explained.

Vinesh was the face of a two-month-long sit-down protest against former Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The trio of Sakshi Malik, Vinesh, and Bajrang Punia led the protest alleging Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual harassment.

After the protest ended, Vinesh suffered an ACL injury that prevented her from participating in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Despite the setback, Vinesh made a comeback and secured the Paris Olympics quota at the Asian qualifying tournament.

While receiving Vinesh, Bajrang also requested the wrestler to reconsider her retirement decision. However, Somvir clarified that her return to the mat was not an option.

"I know there are speculations but when we explain to the fans and people who love us, I hope they will understand," said Somvir.

The long night in Paris

Vinesh Phogat was drawn against World number one Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki in the women's 50kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Her chances were considered slim against the reigning World and Olympic champion Susaki, but she stunned everyone after defeating the Japanese in what was a highly strategic bout.

She then defeated Oksana of Ukraine and Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the subsequent round to become the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to reach the finals at the Olympics.

However, all hell broke loose the next morning when the whole country woke up to the news of a certain disqualification due to Vinesh being overweight by a mere 100 grams.

Despite trying desperate measures of cutting hair, and working out all night, Vinesh failed to drop down below the 50kg mark and it resulted in her disqualification.

"No matter what we do, we have to reduce the weight. That was the only thing that crossed our minds throughout the whole night. Everybody tried their best in their capacity to make sure that she made the weight," Somvir said while recalling the night before the gold medal bout in Paris.

"But it was heartbreaking to see what happened. We were devastated after the weigh-in. It was a very long night for us," Somvir concluded.