'The fire never left': Vinesh Phogat reverses retirement decision, sets sight at LA Olympics with bold message

Vinesh Phogat reverses retirement decision (Reuters)

Indian grappler Vinesh Phogat on Friday announced that she is coming out of retirement with her sights firmly set at the LA 2028 Olympics. She confirmed the move in a lengthy and bold message on social media.

Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after enduring arguably the biggest heartbreak from her career at the Paris Olympics in 2024. She was stripped of an assured silver medal at the Games after failing to meet the required 50kg weight cut, the category she was taking part in on the morning of her gold medal bout. Despite an intense workout session the night before she had then missed the mark by roughly around 100 grams.

Vinesh had also pleaded her case at the Ad hoc Division of Court of Arbitration for Sport in Paris, which ruled the decision against her.

Her statement read: "People kept asking if Paris was the end. For a long time, I didn't have the answer. I needed to step away from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my own ambitions. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe. I took time to understand the weight of my journey the highs, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices, the versions of me the world never saw.

"And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth, I still love this sport. I still want to compete. In that silence, I found something I'd forgotten 'the fire never left'. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise. The discipline, the routine, the fight... it's in my system. No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat.

"So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that's unafraid and a spirit that refuses to bow. And this time, I'm not walking alone my son is joining my team, my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics."

After announcing her retirement from the sport, Vinesh joined the Congress party and contested the Haryana elections from the Julana constituency and won in her political debut.