The many battles of Vinesh Phogat

Vinesh Phogat stands at a critical juncture in more ways than one. The only Indian woman wrestler to land two World Championships medals returned to competitive wrestling at the National Championships in Jaipur in February following a knee surgery in August last year.

With the Paris Olympics only five months away, 29-year-old Vinesh is running against time to regain her peak form to challenge a much younger Antim Panghal, who has secured the quota in women’s freestyle 53kg event.

Vinesh, who took on former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for several improprieties, including sexual harassment, is unsure about the course of their battle against perceived injustices.

But her priority is regaining full fitness after starting serious training in December.

Given her impressive track record as a two-time Olympian and two-time Worlds bronze medallist, winning a National title might not seem significant. However, her mental insecurity, possibly stemming from the uncertainty of her comeback, was evident at the National Championships.

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Vinesh was relieved after securing the 55kg crown, even though the field was a weaker one. “ Operation ke baad aayi hoon toh thoda fear tha (Since I was returning after my operation, I was a little apprehensive). It was like a test for me. I am feeling good. I think I am on the right track. This is an Olympic year. Hopefully, I will stay fit and healthy and give my best for my country.

“Sometimes, even when you are 100 per cent fit, you may not be able to give your best. I gave my 50 per cent and won here.  Wrestling life ko phir se jee rahe hai (I have started living a wrestler’s life once again),” said Vinesh, wearing a smile that had been missing from her face for the last year.

Vinesh won one bout on technical superiority and two by pinning her rivals. In only one bout, against Tamanna of Haryana, she wrestled cautiously to record a 3-0 win.

“When you go to a competition after recovering from an injury, doubts come to mind. In training, you don’t have such doubts. During the rehab phase, for five to six months, I didn’t miss a single session. So, I had eliminated that doubt — the fear — from my mind during training. I came here to test myself. In the women’s section, there is good competition. I ended with a win at the start of the year, which is a positive sign.

“I will do wrestling training now because, after the surgery, I had limited time to train. I am happy with my performance, considering where I was before. I have not done strength training and conditioning at a high level. I was playing safe here because I did not want to take any risk in the Olympic year. This win was important.”

Vinesh, who last competed in the September 2022 World Championships and skipped the Asian Games last year due to fitness concerns, wants to transition smoothly into the 53kg category well before the Olympic trials. “I am cutting weight after a long gap, and there is no need to do it [dramatically]. The key is to save energy for the main competitions.”

Vinesh, who got injured midway through a bout on her Olympic debut in 2016 and had a forgettable outing in the 2020 edition, is confident that she will be able to raise her game in the next five months.

“Yes, hopefully. I think I will play more freely in the next competition. The doubts are over. I will see how the body reacts after this competition.”

Vinesh appeared to have a tentative training plan for the lead-up to the Olympics, but she chose not to reveal whether she would enlist the services of a foreign coach.

“I will go abroad [for training]. My coach is coming. Let’s see what kind of planning is done. The support staff is with me. There are so many people working behind the scenes.”

Vinesh was excited to see several experienced wrestlers getting back into competition mode ahead of the Olympics.

“It is an Olympic year, and many senior athletes were injured. They are coming back on track now. Ravi (Dahiya) also competed and did well recently. Anshu (Malik) and I have won here. We want other wrestlers to follow the seniors and walk with us shoulder to shoulder. The bigger the team in the Olympics, the better it is.”

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Meanwhile, Vinesh has not given up her fight for athlete welfare.

“We try to combine life on the mat and beyond it because, as senior athletes, our responsibility increases. I was continuously doing rehab after my surgery. If we needed to meet someone, then Bajrang (Punia) and Sakshi (Malik) used to take that responsibility.

“I had stepped back a bit, even though we were together at every step. We are trying to continue our fight against injustice,” she said.

“They (the suspended WFI, headed by Brij Bhushan’s acolyte Sanjay Singh) have been trying to create problems. Recently, they conducted another national championship in Pune, but the certificates issued for that event don’t have any value. It’s depressing for the athletes, and the government should take note of this.”

Even though it is difficult for an Olympic-bound athlete to divide her attention, Vinesh feels the situation in the last year has taught her to balance her fights on and off the mat to achieve her target as well as a greater common goal.

The next five months should provide Vinesh with more clarity about her future.