Vinesh Phogat India Arrival Highlights: Vinesh honoured with gold medal in native village; gives moving speech in midnight festivities

After waiting for almost half a day, Vinesh Phogat’s village got to celebrate her homecoming with her. It’s been a long journey on the road for the Olympian whose journey touched a number of areas in Haryana where she was honoured and consoled. The rally-type journey was organised by Bajrang Punia and Vinesh’s family for the wrestler who garnered immense support as she appealed for a joint silver in the Paris Olympics. 

Vinesh began the day in tears, seeing all the support she was getting. Wellwishers and supporters shared glasses of milk, honoured her with garlands and blessings. It was around 1 am by the time she made it to her village Balali. An elaborate felicitation with song and dance awaited her here. She was honoured with a gold medal by the village elders, as they had promised a few days ago. 

She gave a moving speech to those who had waited to see her and welcome her. 

A few days ago, Vinesh posted a long message on her X account thanking her support staff for all their contributions over the past few years. She also seemingly left the door ajar on her wrestling career. Could we see a possible return from the wrestler? While she’s sure of not setting her sight on a mat anytime soon, never say never, we guess! 

It’s been a marathon of a day, but sporting action continues around the world. Catch up with it all on Sportstar. That’s all from this live coverage. 

Somvir strikingly said: On the face of it, everyone knew Vinesh had three bouts through the day, but the real wrestle was in the night, with the weight. We tried everything we could and some more but it wasn’t acceptable to the almighty. There was a medal. It could have been gold, it could have been silver. But there was a medal. The fact that we couldn’t bring it for India is something we will regret for the rest of our lives. 

I don’t know if I am even worthy of such love and respect. I am blessed to be born in a place like this. 

I want to teach the sisters of my village whatever little I know in wrestling so they can step up and take my place and do the country proud. I hope you will all support my sisters and give them your blessings. 

I am indebted to you all for turning up for me. My heartfelt gratitude.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was presented a gold medal by the her native villagers of Balali in Haryana on Sunday as a felicitation ceremony was held for the grappler who returned home after facing disqualification from the Paris Olympics.

Video: PTI

Earlier in the day, Vinesh hailed the people coming out in large numbers to show support for her. 

Vinesh first went to the local temple and paid her respects. There’s now a full-fledged felicitation underway for the wrestler who made the Olympic final in Paris. 

Take a look at the crowds seated at 1:20am in Balali. 

After being on the road for most part of the day, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and others have reached Vinesh’s native village of Balali in Haryana. A massive crowd, which includes over 60 women, are waiting to welcome her. Over five turbans, garlands of notes and other paraphernalia has been set aside to honour her. 

I don’t think the athlete is famished as she’s been regularly gifted glasses of milk along her convoy route. 

“Vinesh is returning to the country. People have come here at the (Delhi) airport to welcome her. People are also waiting to welcome her at our village. People are excited to meet Vinesh and encourage her,” her brother Harvinder Phogat said.

With a large number of men and women from her native village Balali, and the neighbouring areas in Haryana thronging the Indira Gandhi International Airport, dancing to the drum beats, and raising slogans -- “Dal Bhati Churma, Hamari Behan Surma” and “Jab Tak Suraj Chand Rahega, Vinesh Tera Naam Rahega” -- emotional looking wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from Paris Olympics for being around 100 gm over the weight limit after reaching the 50 kg final, returned to India on Saturday.

Read Ashok Kumar’s piece here from Haryana

Dholis are arriving in Ballali with Vinesh yet to arrive. She’s made plenty of pitstops along the way from the Delhi airport to her village, meeting well-wishers and fans along the way. 

In a Facebook post in Hungarian, which was deleted soon after, Akos revealed details about the 15-odd hours leading to Vinesh’s second weigh-in, as reported by the Indian Express. 

“After the semi-final, 2.7 kg of excess weight was left; we exercised for one hour and twenty minutes, but 1.5 kg still remained. Later, after 50 minutes of sauna, not a drop of sweat appeared on her. There was no choice left, and from midnight to 5:30 in the morning, she worked on different cardio machines and wrestling moves, about three-quarters of an hour at one go, with two-three minutes of rest. Then she started again. She collapsed, but somehow we got her up, and she spent an hour in the sauna. I don’t intentionally write dramatic details, but I only remember thinking that she might die. 

“We had an interesting conversation that night, returning from the hospital. Vinesh Phogat said, ‘Coach, don’t be sad because you told me that if I find myself in any difficult situation and need extra energy, I should think that I beat the best woman wrestler (Yui Susaki) in the world. I achieved my goal, I proved that I am one of the best in the world. We have proved that the gameplans work. Medals, podiums are just objects. Performance cannot be taken away.”

The festivities may go well into the night as Vinesh and her travelling party are still quite far away from her native village Ballali. We’ll keep showing you glimpses of the preparations underway to receive her. 

“Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing till 2032, because the fight in me and wrestling in me will always be there. I can’t predict what the future holds for me, and what awaits me in this journey next but I am sure that I will continue to fight always for what I believe in and for the right thing.”

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Vinesh Phogat: Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing till 2032

Vinesh Phogat said that she would not have announced her retirement shortly after being disqualified from Paris 2024 Olympics and could have continued till 2032 “under different circumstances” in a long post on social media.

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