ROHTAK: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat returned from Paris to an overwhelming crowd of supporters waiting for her outside Delhi’s IGI Airport, quickly lifting her spirits and the struggle she faced for the past 10 days.
The first to greet her were Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and ace wrestlers and olympians Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.
Fans cheered her on with chants of ‘Champion Vinesh’, ‘Sher ni Vinesh’, and ‘Tiger Vinesh’. Climbing atop a vehicle alongside Punia and Malik, an emotional Vinesh wiped away tears as admirers welcomed her with garlands, maces, sweets, and even currency garlands. She reciprocated the roaring crowd with folded hands and moist eyes.
Throughout the 100-kilometre journey from Delhi airport to her hometown of Charkhi Dadri, passionate wrestling fans lined the roads, stopping her vehicle to catch a glimpse and hail the wrestler. The crowd swelled as she crossed into Haryana via Jhajjar district, where nearly every village along the way turned out to honour her with garlands.
Congress MLAs Kuldeep Vats and Geeta Bhukkal also came to cheer Vinesh on and offer their support. Vinesh’s cavalcade was still traversing through villages in Jhajjar by Saturday evening and was expected to reach her native village by midnight.
In her native village of Balali in Charkhi Dadri, a large feast has been organised to celebrate her return to India and a huge crowd assembled there on Saturday morning.
In her village, cash awards and a rapturous felicitation awaited her. In Paris, Vinesh became the first Indian woman wrestler to make the final of an Olympics.
She was, however, disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout after she was found to be 100 gms overweight.
Vinesh was set to face Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal on August 7.
Following her disqualification, Vinesh appealed to the Court of Arbitration in Sports (CAS) to award her a joint silver medal.
The appeal was rejected. In a series of posts on social media, Hooda praised the 29-year-old Vinesh for her fighting spirit.
“In our eyes, you have been a winner in the past and will remain so in the future too. Your courage, struggle and determination have not only won the hearts of crores of countrymen but you are an inspiration to crores of youth of the country,” read one of his tweets.
