Vinesh Phogat wins from Julana constituency in Haryana Assembly elections

A three-time Olympian, Vinesh has three Commonwealth Games golds, two World Championships bronze medals and one Asian Games gold medal to her name.

Published : Oct 08, 2024 13:56 IST , CHENNAI - 1 MIN READ

Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat, an Indian National Congress candidate, won the Assembly Election in Julana, Haryana, on Tuesday.
Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat, an Indian National Congress candidate, won the Assembly Election in Julana, Haryana, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu
infoIcon

Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat, an Indian National Congress candidate, won the Assembly Election in Julana, Haryana, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu

Former wrestler Vinesh Phogat began her political career on a winning note on Tuesday, emerging triumphant from the Julana constituency in the Assembly Elections in Haryana. Vinesh, an Indian National Congress candidate, defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Yogesh Kumar by 6015 votes.

The 30-year-old Vinesh retired from wrestling after her Paris Olympics campaign, where she was disqualified from the competition on the day of her 50kg gold medal bout as she had failed to make weight. She appealed the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking for a joint silver medal to be awarded, but it was unsuccessful.

A three-time Olympian, Vinesh has three Commonwealth Games golds, two World Championships bronze medals and one Asian Games gold medal to her name. She was also crowned Asian champion in 2021.

Vinesh hails from the illustrious Phogat wrestling family. Her cousins, Geeta, Sangeeta and Babita are also wrestlers. Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia is married to her cousin Sangeeta.

For most part of 2023, Vinesh, alongside Sakshi and Bajrang, led a protest against the erstwhile administrators of the Wrestling Federation of India, then led by long-term president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh and Sakshi levelled allegations of sexual harassment and mental abuse among other serious grievances of abuse of power within the federation and spent many weeks protesting on the streets at Jantar Mantar. 

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment