Vinesh Phogat for four years went to bed after gruelling training sessions with just one dream every time — to climb the top of the podium at Olympics and hear the national anthem reverberating the stadium. But all the hard work and plans went down the drain when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deferred the Tokyo Games due to COVID-19 outbreak. Her husband Somvir Rathi says she was left heartbroken after she got the news. “Yes, she was heartbroken. All her plannings for the Olympics, everything got wasted. She had to start from scratch. But she knew exactly what she wanted”.
However, one of the things an athlete is taught during their learning days is to get up stronger after failing. And Phogat was no different. The 26-year-old had her own way of recuperating. She took a week off from wrestling and focussed on spending time with family and catching up on the sleep. “She slept, ate, and spent time with us. That is how she coped up with it. Now, she is perfectly fine and has started training,” Somvir told WrestlingTV.
Sakshi Malik, Deepak Punia amongst 6 wrestlers who have applied for Arjuna Award 2020
The wrestler has seen an exponential rise in the last two years in women’s wrestling. Since 2018, the 26-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers in her division. She has won 11 medals from 11 competitions competed in the course of two years. Moreover, she is the lone women wrestler to have booked the Tokyo berth for India after winning bronze at 2019 worlds in Nur-Sultan. And her performances have not gone unrecognised too. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the second time in a row nominated Phogat for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. But although it might be good news for many, Somvir feels otherwise.
He says that it is normal for her to get nominated but what is more important is to be awarded. “When we got the news it felt good but then there was no excitement. She has been doing everything right for the past four years. And as a wrestler, this is all you can do to win the Khel Ratna. It was disappointing when she did not get awarded last year. She deserves to win and so we will celebrate after she is awarded the Khel Ratna”.
The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist is currently back to her mother’s home amid lockdown, where she is training with her sister Priyanka. Her coach Woller Akos sends her weekly training plans all the Hungary on WhatsApp. “She returned home after the first lockdown had ended. At her home, she has installed a small wrestling mat and trains with Priyanka,” Somvir said.
Continuing on whether WFI should hold a camp in the current situation, he added, “I think training camp should be held. We have time so we can start with light training but it is important to be back in the zone. Yes, there will be no competitions but wrestlers will have good conditioning sessions under proper guidance”.