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Vinesh Phogat (left) and Abhinav Bindra (Pic Credit: X/Abhinav_Bindra)
Vinesh Phogat continues to receive messages of support following a stunning turn of events that saw her being disqualified from women’s freestyle 50kg event.
India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has penned an inspiring note for wrestler Vinesh Phogat who missed out on a slice of history in the ongoing Paris Games in a cruel twist of fate.
Vinesh became the first ever Indian female to qualify for the final of a wrestling event and was a win away from what would have been a historic gold medal. However, on the day of her women’s freestyle 50kg bout, he failed weigh-in and was found 100gm above the limit.
Consequently, she was disqualified from the entire event meaning meaning she wouldn’t receive a guaranteed silver medal either.
Sharing a couple of images with his meeting with Vinesh who took extreme measures to cut down her weight, Bindra said her fighting spirit has resonated with him and she embodies ‘true spirit of a warrior’.
“It is said that sport is a celebration of human will,” Bindra wrote. “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,” he added.
Bindra, who won Olympic gold in shooting at the Beijing Games in 2008, said Vinesh’s resilience will serve as an example to every child in India before concluding his post by thanking her.
“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,” he wrote.
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