Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hailed wrestler Vinesh Phogat after her stunning semi-final win at the Paris Olympics and said that the “whole country is emotional” along with the wrestler.
Vinesh Phogat won three matches in a day. She became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final after she defeated Cuba’s Yusnelis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the women’s freestyle 50 kg semi-final at the Olympics 2024 in Paris. She also defeated Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan to make way to the quarter-finals. Notably, the Japanese wrestler faced her first defeat in 82 international matches.
In the quarter-finals, Vinesh won against Ukraine’s Oksana Livach.
Reacting to Vinesh Phogat’s feat, in an apparent reference to the protest by the country’s ace wrestlers against former Wrestlers’ Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Rahul Gandhi said this is the identity of champions that they give their answer on the field.
Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi said that it was an emotional moment for India since Vinesh Phogat defeated the top three wrestlers to reach the final. He added that Vinesh Phogat’s success in Paris can be heard clearly in Delhi.
“Today, along with Vinesh, the entire country is emotional after defeating three top wrestlers of the world in a single day. All those who denied the struggle of Vinesh and her teammates, and even questioned their intentions and abilities, have got their answer. Today, the entire power system that had made India shed tears of blood collapsed in front of her brave daughter. This is the identity of champions, they give their answer from the field. Best wishes Vinesh. The echo of your success in Paris can be heard clearly till Delhi,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia, who was also a part of the wrestlers’ protest last year, took to X and said, “This girl (Vinesh Phogat) was kicked and crushed in her own country. This girl was dragged on the streets in her country. This girl is going to conquer the world but she lost to the system in this country.”
“Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India who won back to back matches today,” he added.
Last year, Vinesh, Bajrang and other top wrestlers staged months long protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. They accused him of sexual harassment against seven wrestlers, including a minor.
In May, the Delhi Police detained Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, and others over their march to the new Parliament building – on the day of its inauguration. In the aftermath of the incident, the wrestlers travelled to Haridwar to immerse their medals into the Ganges, but were stopped by farmers’ leader Naresh Tikait at the last moment.
The protests resulted in the filing of a case against Brij Bhushan, who later also stepped down as Wrestling Federation of India chief. On July 11 this year, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi directed to begin trial and recording statement of prosecution witnesses in alleged sexual harassment case against Singh. The BJP leader has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Bajrang Punia also highlighted how the BJP IT cell said ill things about the wrestlers when they staged a protest against Brij Bhushan. “Will these guys now congratulate our athletes after trolling them during the Jantar Mantar protest? At that time, they claimed that these wrestlers did not want to give trials… that their careers have ended. BJP IT cell said a lot of ill things about these wrestlers,” he told India Today.
Olympic Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra aptly summed up Vinesh Phogat’s win. “A torn ligament. A lower weight category. An unbeaten world champion. Nothing stands in her way. Can’t wait to cheer @Phogat_Vinesh as she goes for gold. Your resilience and strength inspire us all. What an inspiring day, here’s hoping for one more,” Abhinav Bindra wrote on X.
Vinesh’s sister Geeta Phogat also congratulated the 29-year-old wrestler and said that their father’s dream came true.