Vinesh Phogat was in visible pain in Rio. Those are the smallest moments, shooting pain, mind far from the mat and a thousand thoughts running through her head. The injury came at the worst possible place and time: the Olympics in Rio.
The name Phogat had become popular. It would soon become household as the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal swept cinemas across the nation. On the ground, Vinesh was living her own personal nightmare theatre after that fateful quarter-final in Brazil.
The draw for the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang hadn’t cut her any slack; she was paired alongside Sun Yanan, the very opponent from that night. Vinesh hadn’t defeated Sun in three attempts, but this was a different Vinesh, a more purpose-filled Vinesh.
“There was pressure (against Yanan) but it was to prove that I am actually stronger than her. I wanted to prove this today because I lost thrice to her before. And I have done this today,” said Vinesh.
Vinesh 2.0: In match-play mode
This is Vinesh 2.0, target in her eyes, eyes on the prize. The long journey to rehabilitation began at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi. A wait of nine months would come to an end with a silver, not the colour that she might have wished for, but a significant colour considering the agonising wait and repair work involved.
A second successive Commonwealth Games gold was secured with consummate ease, there was never any doubt in Gold Coast. She had done it in Glasgow, this was more of the same. The Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek had offered more of a challenge.
In the final, China’s Chun Lei had handed her a defeat. Vinesh had silver again, her sixth medal in Asia, none of which were gold. Three silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships, to go with a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Incheon from 2014, made her the most consistent female wrestler in the country, irrespective of Sakshi Malik’s Olympic bronze.
A stint with Hungarian coach Woller Akos followed, and so did a victory at the Madrid Grand Prix.
Sun defeated
New Delhi. A day before she is to leave for Jakarta. Vinesh Phogat is relaxed. She paces around at a send-off function and doesn’t speak much. This is the calm before the storm and on the mat, Vinesh displays considerable calm during the storm in Jakarta.
Her aggression hasn’t been curbed, it looks fine-tuned. She weaves, ducks and locks, tempering approaches with a wall of block-holds. Yanan feels this first up. Vinesh races into an early lead and for a scare mid-way, wins her bout 8-2.
The next two are straight-forward. Kim Hyung-Joo was defeated in Bishkek and this time, it’s no different. A technical superiority is on the cards as the South Korean is vanquished 11-0. Dauletbike Yakshimuratova’s Asian Games run in Incheon was ended by Vinesh. It is much the same here. Vinesh clears the hurdle at which Sakshi and Pooja Dhanda fall, comfortably. Seventy-five seconds, that’s all it takes.
Next up and last on the cards is Japan’s Irie Yuki. The two have their history. Yuki prevented Vinesh from conquering Asia once at the Wrestling Championships in Doha in 2015. This year in Bishkek, Vinesh’s progression to the final came at the expense of the Japanese.
It helped that Yui Sasaki, the world champion, was absent in order to prepare for her title defence but Irie’s no rookie; the 25-year-old is a former junior World champion and an Asian champion. Any slip by Vinesh and the leg could be hooked. For Vinesh, this is the biggest bout in her career till date.
“I had targeted gold. I had 3-4 silvers at the Asian level. So I was determined to win a gold medal. My body responded well. I had trained well and God was also kind to me. Everything fell in place for me today,” said Vinesh.
“Injuries are part of an athlete’s career. It is difficult both emotionally and physically. But I shrugged off everything to deliver some good medals recently. Someone has said an athlete becomes strong after injury and I feel I indeed have become stronger than before.
“I work on this (mental strength) but I am like this from childhood. I have always been rough and tough. I take risks in life and they pay off. I have self-belief. I feel there is nothing that I can’t do,” she added.
Clinical final
The first minute are an exercise in scouting. The two circle each other, slowing circling and probing for possible openings. Vinesh is reprimanded by the referee for being too passive, followed by a gut-hold to the Japanese which is blocked.
Undeterred, Vinesh moves in and executes a take-down, followed by a roll-over which fetches her four points. The Balali-born wrestler can visualise the finishing line but must now use all her might to hold on to this lead.
Post the break, the referee awards Irie a passivity point but Vinesh’s job is clear; block and let the timer run out. The point earned by her opponent doesn’t faze her and neither does the point earned with 30 seconds to go, as Vinesh is pushed out onto the protection area.
As Irie scrambles for a last-minute point, Vinesh pounces and quickly snatches two points. The timer reads 3.2 seconds. The match ends and an exuberant Vinesh holds onto her emotions for the presentation. This is the new Vinesh, the champion of Asia. That trophy cabinet now yearns for 2020.
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