To understand the significance of what Vinesh Phogat has done, you need to know about how she went through hell and back in the last 18 moths.
January 2023: Vinesh, Bajrang & Sakshi take to New Delhi's Jantar Mantar to protest against the WFI chief. Vinesh & other women wrestlers accuse Brij Bhushan of sexual abuse & issuing death threats.
April 2023: Vinesh is to train in Sweden, stays back to track the developments. The wrestlers return to Jantar Mantar to continue their protest since an FIR was not filed.
May 2023: Vinesh, Bajrang, Sakshi & Sangeeta are detained by the Delhi Police after they marched towards the new Parliament on the day of its inauguration. An FIR is lodged against them, they later go to Haridwar later to immerse their medals in the river Ganga in protest.
June 2023: The chargesheet against Brij Bhushan is filed with various sexual offences including assault, sexual harassment and stalking. Vinesh and co. call off their sit-in protest and go home after sleeping on the pavement for over 40 days.
August 2023: Vinesh announces that she will miss the Asian Games due to a knee injury.
December 2023: Vinesh returns to training, along with a familiar face in @waynelombard. Vinesh tells me she will qualify for the Olympics and a medal there would be her ultimate goal. It seems incredibly hard at this point, but she is determined. @virenrasquinha and @OGQ_India assembled 11-person team to support Vinesh.
February 2024: Vinesh makes a full comeback at the nationals in February and wins gold in the 55kg division. It's only her second competition in 17 months.
March 2024: Vinesh does the unthinkable - competes in the 50kg & 53kg trials, wins in the 50kg and earns the chance to fight for an Olympic quota.
April 2024: Vinesh wins a quota for the Paris Olympics by beating Laura Ganikyzy at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers.
August 2024: Does what no Indian woman wrestler has done - enter the Olympic final. Confirms India's 4th medal of the Games.
#Paris2024 | #Olympics | #Wrestling
A year of protest against the federation chief.
Slept on pavements for 40 days.
Was beaten, dragged by the police.
Nearly immersed all her medals in the Ganga.
Underwent knee surgery.
Sealed her Olympic spot after an unforgiving qualification process.
Became the 1st Indian woman wrestler to qualify for three successive Olympics.
And now, she's beaten the unbeatable defending champ, won two more bouts to become the first Indian woman to reach a wrestling Olympic final.
Words fail to appreciate what Vinesh Phogat has just done.
https://t.co/ItdNkkWO1w | #Paris2024
From being water cannoned by police to winning an Olympic medal
Vinesh Phogat of India makes history by beating the undefeated (for 81 matches) world champion in wrestling, assuring her an Olympic medal
Last year, she was one of the wrestlers leading a protest against the WFI president, who has a rape charge against him
This will be her first Olympic medal and it's one that is well deserved ❤️