“You embody the true spirit of a warrior” – Abhinav Bindra meets Vinesh Phogat after Paris Olympics heartbreak
Legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra recently met Vinesh Phogat after the Indian wrestler was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh was eliminated after being found 100 grams overweight than the permissible limit on Wednesday (August 7) after which she was disallowed from taking part in her gold-medal match against Sarah Hildebrandt from the United States.
Bindra, who won the historic gold medal for India at the Beijing Games back in 2008, dropped a motivational post where he praised Vinesh for fighting wholeheartedly.
Bindra, who made proud in shooting, hailed Vinesh as a warrior and said that the next generation of athletes from India would be inspired by her journey. Bindra wrote on X:
"Dear Vinesh, it is said that sport is a celebration of human will. I have known that to be true many times in my career but never has it resonated more than today. As I look around me, I see a nation and its people celebrate your unyielding resolve. You are a fighter – on and off the mat. Through you, we are learning what it means to never lose the fight in us, even as a loss weighs heavily."
“You embody the true spirit of a warrior. Not all victories look alike. Some end up as a glittering souvenir in a cabinet but the ones that matter more find their way into the stories we tell our children. And every child in this country will know the champion you are. Every child will grow up wanting to face life with the resilience you have displayed. I thank you for that. Respect, Abhinav Bindra.”
Vinesh Phogat announces her retirement
After she missed the golden chance of winning an Olympic gold in her career, Vinesh took the call of retiring from professional wrestling. She dropped a post, saying that she does not have any courage left to keep fighting.
Vinesh, in the meantime, filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAC) about making her the joint winner of the silver medal.
As per the laws of the United World Wrestling (UWW), a wrestler disqualified from the Olympics would not be eligible to win any medal.