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Vinesh Phogat reverses retirement decision, announces comeback with an eye on wrestling gold at LA Olympics 2028
Vinesh Phogat has announced her return to wrestling, aiming for a medal at the LA Olympics after reflecting on her journey.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat reversed her decision to retire and announced that she would return to the mat to fight for the elusive medal at the LA Olympics in 2028.
Vinesh, who joined politics a day after announcing her retirement from wrestling following a heart-wrenching disqualification from the Paris Olympics gold medal bout, said she needed time to reflect on her wrestling career.
"People kept asking if Paris was the end. For a long time, I didn't have the answer. I needed to step away from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my own ambitions. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe.
“I took time to understand the weight of my journey the highs, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices, the versions of me the world never saw. And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth, I still love this sport. I still want to compete,” wrote Vinesh in an X post on Friday.
"In that silence, I found something I'd forgotten 'the fire never left'. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise. The discipline, the routine, the fight... it's in my system. No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat.
"So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that's unafraid and a spirit that refuses to bow.
“And this time, I'm not walking alone my son is joining my team, my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics."
Vinesh Phogat, India’s Asian Games gold medallist, scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic gold medal bout. Her landmark run included a stunning win over Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki, setting up a dream title clash and guaranteeing India at least a silver. But just hours before the final, disaster struck. During the routine morning weigh-in, Vinesh was found to be 100 grams overweight and was disqualified from the competition.
Under United World Wrestling (UWW) regulations, failing a weigh-in at any stage of an event renders all previous results invalid. Vinesh appealed the decision, arguing that she at least deserved the silver medal she had earned by winning three bouts on Day 1. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected her plea, leaving her with no medal despite her historic performance.
Upon returning to India, Vinesh received a rousing welcome and soon made a major career shift by joining the Congress party. Her political debut was immediately successful—she won the Haryana assembly election from the Julana constituency in Jind, defeating the BJP’s Yogesh Bajrangi. She is not the first female wrestler from her family or state to enter politics; her cousin Babita Phogat had earlier contested the 2019 assembly elections from Charkhi Dadri but was unsuccessful.
