Wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced her comeback to fulfill her Olympic dream on Friday, December 12, confirming her retirement from professional wrestling. The 31-year-old quit the sport following controversy at the Paris Olympics, where she was denied a medal despite reaching the final. Vinesh was disqualified in the gold medal match in the morning for weighing 100 grams over the specified weight limit.
Vinesh was poised to become the first Indian woman to compete in an Olympic wrestling final, but her dreams were dashed on the day of the title fight in Paris.
In an emotional post on Instagram, Vinesh said that during her 18-month break from the sport, she was thinking about the next step in her career.
Especially, Vinesh contested the Haryana assembly elections last yearand won the Julana constituency with a margin of 6,000 votes.
“People kept asking if Paris was over. I didn’t have an answer for a long time. I needed to step back 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 the 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.
“In that silence I found something I’d forgotten ‘the fire never left’. It was buried only by exhaustion and noise. Discipline, routine, struggle… it’s in my system. No matter how far I’ve gone, a part of me remains on the mat.
“So here I am, backing back to LA28 with a heart that doesn’t fear and a spirit that refuses to bow.
Vinesh will now join the list of elite Indian athletes who have returned to competition after giving birth. The Olympian, who is married to wrestler Somvir Rathee, welcomed a baby boy in July 2025.
“And this time I’m not going alone. My son is joining my team, my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this journey to the Olympics in LA.” Vinesh Phogat’s Instagram
More to follow…
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
December 12, 2025
