Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Wrestling

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's biggest achievements and medals

Vinesh Phogat is one of India's most decorated wrestlers, and here are her biggest achievements.

Vinesh Phogat
X

Vinesh Phogat (United World Wrestling)

By

Ananth Narasimman

Updated: 3 Aug 2021 12:22 PM GMT

Not every athlete who comes from a famous sports family matches up to their sibling's or relatives careers. Some manage to exceed it, and Vinesh Phogat has done just that. She is from the famous Phogat family, which has produced some of the best wrestlers the country has ever seen under the guidance of Dronacharya award winner and her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat. Vinesh Phogat is the cousin of the legendary Phogat sisters, Geetha and Babita Kumari, and is considered the most talented and skilled among the sisters. Her father, Rajpal Phogat, was a massive support to his older brother and was instrumental in the phenomenal rise of the sisters. Unfortunately, he could not see his daughter fulfil his dreams as he was killed in a dispute when Vinesh was 8.

Vinesh and her family had to deal with turmoil and hard times due to her father's demise and her mother's cancer treatment. The unwavering support from her uncle helped her and the family get past those tough times with a bright future in their mind.

Coached by her uncle, she announced herself at the international stage when she dominated the Asian Wrestling Championship in Delhi in 2013. She was 19 and seemed miles ahead of her competition.

Her breakthrough moment came in one of the brightest stages, as she caused a stunning upset by defeating the home favourite Yanna Rattigan at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, to win the gold. This huge win was the trampoline she needed to soar to greater heights.

She clinched the silver at the 2015 Asian Championships in Doha, following it up by winning the Olympic qualification tournament in Istanbul.

2016 her career took a hit in what was pretty much an underwhelming year according to her high standards as she crashed out in the quarterfinals to Sun Yana of China due to a knee injury that left the young star shattered after a good tournament.

Most stars find it difficult to recover from such a huge blow, but not Vinesh, as she came back stronger to clinch the silver at the 2018 Asian Championship in Kyrgyzstan.

2019 was a special year for Vinesh as she dominated throughout the year, first with a bronze in the 2019 Asian Championship and then finally winning her first World Championship medal in the women's 53 kg weight class. She secured her position for the Tokyo Olympics with a top-six finish.

Her upcoming matches in the Olympics are going to be an exciting affair and a perfect opportunity for the wrestling star to get on the podium as she comes into the tournament in fine form after winning the gold at the Asian Championship 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Next Story