Big news has emerged. Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat has made a major decision. Vinesh announced her return from retirement and said she will now prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to fulfill her unfulfilled Olympic dream. It’s worth noting that in 2024, Vinesh failed to win a medal despite reaching the finals, and now she wants to fulfill that unfulfilled dream.
Vinesh shared this on social media. She wrote, ‘People kept asking if Paris was the end.’ Vinesh said, ‘For a long time, I didn’t have an answer. I needed to step away from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my dreams. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe. I took time to understand the burden of my journey – the ups and downs, the heartbreak, the sacrifices, the sides of me the world has never seen. And somewhere in that thought, I found the truth: I still love this sport. I still want to compete.’
She further wrote, “In that silence, I found something I had forgotten: ‘The fire never dies.’ It had simply been buried beneath the fatigue and noise. Discipline, routine, fight… it’s all in my system. No matter how far I stray, a part of me remains on the mat. So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that is fearless and a spirit that refuses to bow. And this time, I’m not walking alone; my son is joining me, my team, my biggest inspiration, my little cheerleader, on this path to the LA Olympics.”
Vinesh Phogat was very close to making wrestling history at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She became the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final, but just hours before the final, she was found to be 100 grams overweight, causing her to be disqualified. She was devastated and announced her retirement.