Celebrated wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday received a grand welcome on her return to the country with hundreds of supporters gathering outside the IGI airport, showing immense solidarity with her.
Stars such as Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and panchayat leaders received Vinesh, who endured a heartbreaking exit at the Paris Olympics where she was disqualified for being overweight on the day of her 50kg final.
Heavily garlanded, Vinesh stood in an open Jeep and thanked all the supporters. Congress leader Deepender Hooda accompanied Vinesh and offered her sweets.
“I thank the entire country for support,” she said, her hands folded in humility.
There was a thick security cover as Vinesh, who was found 100 grams overweight at the Olympics, landed in the national Capital.
Vinesh’s caravan left for her native village Balali in Haryana and on the way she met her supporters, positioned at different spots. Hooda presented a mace, a ‘symbol of victory’ to Vinesh, who got emotional and was consoled by her husband Somvir.
In a series of twitter posts, Hooda praised the 29-year-old Vinesh for her fighting spirit.
“In our eyes, you have been a winner in the past and will remain so in the future too. Your courage, struggle and determination have not only won the hearts of crores of countrymen but you are an inspiration to crores of youth of the country,” read one of his tweets. A group of 50 supporters followed her jeep. They offered prayers at a temple in Delhi’s Dwarka before continuing their journey towards Balali.
Vinesh had stayed back in Paris after challenging her disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanding a joint silver. The application was dismissed on Wednesday. “She has come back to her country after such a long time. She is very emotional also. She will spend time with family and calm herself. What Vinesh has done for women is praiseworthy. She might not have received a medal, but she is a champion for us,” said Sakshi Malik.
London Olympics bronze medal-winning shooter Gagan Narang, who was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent in Paris, called her a champion, posting a photo with Vinesh at the Paris airport. Both of them were on the same flight to Delhi.
“She came as a champion on day 1 into the games village and she will always remain our champion. Sometimes one doesn’t need an Olympic medal to inspire a billion dreams.. @vineshphogat you have inspired generations. Salute to your grit,” Narang posted on X.
“People are waiting to welcome her to our village. People are excited to meet Vinesh and encourage her,” her brother Harvinder Phogat said.
The feisty wrestler, in her first reaction after her disqualification, on Saturday said that under “different circumstances” she could see herself competing till 2032 because she still has a lot of wrestling left in her, but is now unsure about her future as things “might never be same again”. Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after her disqualification.
In an emotional post on social media, Vinesh shared her childhood dream, the hardships she faced after losing her father and also put on record the contribution made by people in her extraordinary journey that ended in heartbreak in Paris.
