PM Modi Commends Vinesh Phogat: ‘A Matter Of Great Pride’

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat received praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics, where she became the first Indian female grappler to reach the final.

On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a meeting and reception for Indian athletes and gold medalists from the recently concluded Paris Olympics at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi, according to IANS.

During his interaction with the Indian contingent, PM Modi highlighted Vinesh’s remarkable achievement, stating, “Vinesh became the first Indian (women) to reach the finals in wrestling, which is a matter of great pride for all of us.”

However, Vinesh’s historic accomplishment took a severe hit when she was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg gold medal match at the Paris Olympics after being found 100 grams over the allowed weight limit on the morning of the championship.

Following this devastating setback, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling on social media. She subsequently filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), seeking to overturn her disqualification and requesting a shared silver medal in the 50 kg weight category.

Unfortunately, her hopes of securing her first Olympic medal were dashed when the Ad-Hoc Division of the CAS rejected her appeal against the disqualification.