Vinesh Phogat retires: Top 5 bouts of the Indian wrestler

Renowned Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics.

Here are the top 5 bouts of Vinesh's career.

2014 Commonwealth Games gold

Vinesh Phogat was a dominant wrestler in the Commonwealth Games. She won three gold medals at the CWG in three different weight categories.

Vinesh won the first of her three gold on her debut at the 2014 CWG in Glasgow in the 48kg category.

In the final, she was pitted against England's Yana Rattigan. Yana was already an established wrestler winning silver medals at the 2010 and 2013 European Championships. Hence, Vinesh was a dark horse.

However, the then-young Indian wrestler held her nerves and defeated the favourite Yana 11-8 in the final.

Vinesh won two more gold in 2018 and 2022 in 50kg and 53kg but her maiden CWG gold will always stand out because of the sheer competition she faced.

2018 Asian Games Gold

Vinesh made history in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at the continental event.

Being the most dominant wrestler in the 50kg freestyle category, Vinesh won her quarterfinal and semifinal bouts without dropping a point.

In the final, she thrashed Japan's Yuki Ire, the 2015 Asian Championships gold medallist, and won the bout 6-2 winner to claim her maiden Asian Games gold.

2019 World Championships bronze

Vinesh won the World Championships bronze twice in 2019 and 2022 in the 53kg category.

In the 2019 Worlds at Nur Sultan, Vinesh beat two-time bronze medallist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece by fall in the bronze medal bout.

Despite trailing 0-1 after the first period for showing passivity in attack, Vinesh pinned the Greek wrestler down to win the contest.

By winning the medal, Vinesh became the fourth Indian woman wrestler to win a medal at the meet.

In 2022, Vinesh won another bronze when she defeated reigning European champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden in a lopsided contest. Vinesh won the bronze medal by winning the bout 8-0.

But given the stature of her opponent in 2019, her first Worlds medal will always stand out.

2021 Asian Championships gold

Vinesh won her maiden Asian Championships gold in 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Though she had won four bronze and three silver before, the gold medal always eluded her.

She finally broke her final jinx in 2021. Vinesh put up a commanding performance in the 53kg final as she beat Chinese Taipei's Meng Hsuan Hsieh by fall (6-0) without dropping a point.

Meng tried to attack Vinesh's leg but the Indian defended well before pinning her down to win the bout.

Ending Susaki's unbeaten run at 2024 Paris Olympics

At the Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh was at her absolute best.

She was pitted against an opponent who never lost in her career. Yu Susaki of Japan is a four-time world champion and 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist. She was 82-0 going into the bout. Thus, nobody thought Vinesh would overcome the Japanese.

But the Indian wrestler toppled her without dropping a point.

For someone who dislocated her knee midway through the quarterfinal to be stretched off in the Rio Olympics (2016) and had a forgettable outing in Tokyo (2021), beating Susaki was a remarkable performance from the feisty Vinesh.

Vinesh, who defended for five minutes and 42 seconds in the bout, conceded a few points for showing passivity.

But she eventually pulled off magic in the dying seconds by holding the Japanese wrestler down with a well-thought-out strategy.

The win led to a teary celebration. Following this magnificent win, Vinesh overcame her opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals easily to put herself in contention for the gold medal.

But 100 grams of excess weight before the final meant she had to return home without a medal.