Boys never got any special treatment in my house. I was never made to feel any less, says Vinesh Phogat

One of the prominent names in Indian wrestling, Vinesh Phogat, in September, became the first Indian female wrestler to win two medals at the World Wrestling Championships so far.

- Renuka Vyavahare

She is also the winner of three consecutive gold medals at the Commonwealth Games (CWG). Her comeback at the World Wrestling Championships was remarkable. She not only overcame physical injury, but also mental fatigue with a string of hard-earned victories.

However, success at the Olympics has eluded the Indian wrestler. A knee surgery cut off all prospects of a medal at Rio 2016. She was stretchered off the arena in tears. She returned to India in a wheelchair. Post rehabilitation and return to form, she entered Tokyo 2020 top-seeded and a medal favourite but crashed out in the quarterfinal. This loss was most devastating for Phogat, who told a newspaper, “I don’t know when I will return. Maybe I won’t. I feel I was better off with that broken leg (at Rio 2016). I had something to correct. Now my body is not broken, but I truly am.” But come back, she did! We spoke to the wrestler on her challenging journey and more. Excerpts… 

You are now the first Indian woman wrestler to win two medals at the World Wrestling Championships. After a shocking opening-round defeat, you made a roaring comeback in the tournament. You are also the proud winner of three consecutive Golds at the CWG.

Mental resilience is extremely important for any sport. People tend to make a hero out of you or write you off easily. You need to silence that outer noise and pressure and focus on your performance, which is what I did. Haar-jeet toh hoti rehti hai. It’s a part of the game and people should understand that. CWG has always been a morale booster for me, especially after what happened at Tokyo Olympics. I had trained hard and my target was to perform well in both CWG and World Championships.