Vinesh Phogat, who won bronze in the 48kg category at the recently concluded Asian Games bronze in Incheon, said she wasn’t happy with her performance and was working hard to iron out the minor flaws that cost her a silver or, may be, a gold medal.
The Haryana girl was left reeling with a performance that could have been better had it not been for her own minor mistakes. “My coaches weren’t happy with the result. I was also not fully satisfied as it was my own mistake and I could’ve done better,” Vinesh told The Pioneer on the sidelines of the ‘Gail — The Fastest Indian’ programme here on Tuesday.
Vinesh, who won gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, said she was aiming to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics through next year’s World Wrestling Championships.
“I’m confident and hope to get a medal at the highest level. I am training hard to correct the flaws in my game. I am working on my technique and movements,” she said.
Vinesh comes from a family of wrestlers and her cousin Geeta Phogat, who was the first ever Indian women wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, is her inspiration. “When she won the medal at 2010 CWG, my parents motivated me to pursue the family sport and encouraged me to bring the next medal for the country. She’s my inspiration and always will be,” the 20-year-old Vinesh, who is also coached by Geeta’s father Mahavir Singh, said.
Asked about the future of Wrestling as a sport in India, she said “Youth is showing interest in wrestling and hopefully they will make our nation proud in the coming years,” she concluded.