Don’t forget Vinesh Phogat: Superfan paints wrestler’s face ahead of Asian Games trials

Fighting the system alone is exhausting; to do this while carrying the hopes of a nation is superhuman. Vinesh Phogat’s storied journey and her fierce battles off the mat have cemented her status as a living legend.

Scars from her recent struggles were met with a tidal wave of public adulation as she entered Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium on Saturday, May 30, for the high-stakes trials at the Asian Games. Nowhere was this dedication more evident than in Manoj, a die-hard fan from Sonipat who has been following Vinesh’s grind for a decade. Standing proudly in the crowd, Manoj wore a custom T-shirt with ‘Vinesh is a fighter’ on the front and ‘Don’t forget Vinesh Phogat’ on the back.

But his highest honor was permanently written on his skin: a massive tattoo of the champion covering both arms. Manoj showing off his tattoos (Photo by Kingshuk Kusari)

“I saw her get injured when she was so close to a medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics,” Manoj recalled. “It was heartbreaking, otherwise India would have won the medal right then and there. That’s when I became a big fan.”

For Manoj, Phogat became an immortal figure after she announced her retirement. So that her legacy would never fade, he got two different tattoos. His right arm depicts Vinesh walking away in his wrestling singlet with his arms raised in defiance, while his left arm depicts her face next to a plea: Don’t forget Vinesh Phogat.

However, their bond lasts for years. “I once left a comment on her Facebook post: ‘Didi, don’t worry, more medals will come. Just get well soon, 2020 awaits you.’ She liked it so much that she actually shared it on her official page!” Manoj said beaming.

FROM COURT TO MAT

Manoj at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi (photo by Kingshuk Kusari)

Manoj’s fierce loyalty reflects the institutional hurdles Phogat had to overcome just to lace up her shoes. Her presence at trials in Asia was made possible only after the Supreme Court she refused to stay on the orders of the Delhi High Court, which granted her permission to compete.

The legal showdown stemmed from the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) revised selection policy, which restricted participation in tryouts to wrestlers meeting strict eligibility criteria. The federation declared Phogat ineligible after her return from maternity leave.

Refusing to budge, Phogat’s legal team successfully argued that the WFI’s criteria unfairly disadvantaged an accomplished world-class athlete trying to rebuild her career after giving birth.

Even after she won her day in court, systemic friction followed her right to the stadium gates. Phogat arrived at the Indira Gandhi Stadium at dawn at 6:30 am but had to wait for almost two hours, until 8:20 am, to complete her official weigh-in.

This bureaucratic hurdle comes on the heels of a previous setback in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, where she planned to make her competitive comeback in the 57kg category at the Senior Open Ranking Tournament, only to be barred from competing by the WFI and forced to return empty-handed.

But despite the administrative delays and psychological toll of the past few months, the stage is finally set. With the weight of the federation on his shoulders and the warmth of the nation at his back, Vinesh Phogat has the much-anticipated match to begin around 2:00 PM IST.

– The end

Published on:

May 30, 2026 1:35 PM IST