Feeling to compete against the best is back: Vinesh Phogat

Disappointment in Tokyo has made me mentally stronger, says first Indian woman to win two world wrestling championship medals

Vinesh Phogat is back to doing what she knows the best: winning wrestling bouts. After gold at the CWG, she won bronze at the ongoing world championships in Belgrade, becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals from the worlds.

File photo of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat (Vinesh Phogat Twitter)

The loss at the Tokyo Olympics came as a big blow nearly crushing her desire to compete. In an interview, 28-year-old Vinesh opens up on how she picked herself up from the depths of despair to get back to winning ways.

What does this bronze medal mean to you?

It means a lot. For the first time after Tokyo, I could feel the same energy and rhythm. Body was responding well during the repechage bouts and it made me feel that I want to go out there and compete against the best. To get this feeling back was very important. And to have a medal at the world championships is huge because of the quality of opponents. I had surgery (elbow) last year. The decisions I have taken regarding my training, fitness and the hard work I have put was all worth. It is a relief.

How would you rate this medal?

This medal has come after the worst phase of my career. After the Rio Olympics I was dejected. It was a physical and mental challenge to come back from the injury (knee). But after Tokyo, I was mentally crushed. I have been wrestling for 20 years but never have I lost confidence in my abilities. When I am on the mat, I have always been focused on winning. After Tokyo, I felt like I didn’t want anything in life; I don’t want to step on the mat again. I said that to my family. They were more worried about my well-being than wrestling and what would make me happy. My husband (Somvir Rathee) was a big support. I got so many emails from fans, people encouraging me and it makes me feel good that I have achieved something in my career. It was the lowest point in my career. After Rio, I thought I returned mentally strong. The Tokyo phase has taught me more, and has made me mentally stronger.

Your performance in Tokyo was criticised since you were expected to medal. How do you respond to such a high level of expectations?

You cannot stop people from saying what they want. The people who know the sport, who are close to me, will always support me in bad times. It doesn’t matter what others are feeling. I realised such people will change their opinion with every loss and every medal you win.

Talk us through your comeback. When did you feel your confidence was back?

When I played in the Istanbul ranking meet (February), I could see that I was physically not ready for international competitions. I needed to put in more hours of training. It is like when you train well, it builds your confidence and the body starts responding in competitions. So, I skipped all other tournaments and focused on training. I did not even compete at the Asian Championships for the first time.

The Commonwealth Games was an important indicator in the comeback journey. Sometimes even a smaller-level competition can be tricky. You are not only expected to win, but win comfortably. You cannot afford to concede a point (laughs). And it was good competition, especially against Samantha Stewart (world championship bronze medallist) and Mercy Adekuoroye (Nigeria), so the CWG gold gave me a lot of confidence. It showed that I was on the right path.

Your loss in the first bout in Belgrade against Batkhuyag Khulan of Mongolia was unexpected? What happened?

I had to cut weight three times in the past one month —for CWG, then selection trials and worlds —and that’s not easy. I had not recovered after weight reduction. I did not have the strength to fight. I was simply not there on the mat, or else I know I could have beaten her. Next day I felt better and performed better in bronze. If you reduce weight once in two months and I have done it smoothly, it's not an issue.

Has it brought your hunger back for the Paris Olympics?

There is nothing bigger than the Olympics and as athletes, we yearn for an Olympics medal. There is still a long way to go. Yes, it has given my confidence back, it has given me the strength to fight. I will keep working hard towards Olympic qualification.