After Tokyo Olympics' slump, India's star grappler Vinesh Phogat made a sensational comeback to bag elusive gold for India in the women's freestyle 53 kg wrestling in the ongoing Commonwealth Games. But the journey from slump to glory was full of hurdles for Vinesh.
Vinesh had to fight through the Olympics demon which took a massive toll on her both mentally and physically but the third CWG gold glory has again motivated her to go all guns blazing in her wrestling career.
In an exclusive conversation, India's star wrestler was caught up with India Today, as she opener up on her struggles which came her way after she was knocked out of the opening round of her Tokyo Olympics. She also suffered a heartbreaking injury in the quarters of her maiden Olympics appearance in Rio.
But she braved all the odds and stood strong to mark one of the best comebacks in Birmingham. She dominated the women’s 53kg category en route to becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win three successive gold medals at the Games.
“It has been an up and down journey. A few athletes struggle physically, and a few mentally. I struggled with both. But, I have seen from a young age, I get the results at the end of the day but I get them after going through a lot of struggles. I am not afraid of going through struggles,” Vinesh said.
“There are a lot of people who go through struggles and end up don’t achieving what they want. But I am lucky when it comes to that. I am at least getting the results. I am taking all these things positively.
“To overcome defeat at a stage like Olympics was difficult. I had a dip in confidence, self-doubts crept in. It never happened to me but after the Tokyo Olympics, I went through that phase.
“I think this (Commonwealth Games) medal will change things in a positive way. I can say proudly that the next phase of my wrestling, I will try to enjoy it, remember the good things and move forward,” she further added.
Meanwhile, Vinesh also recalled a piece of advice from two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar, revealing that she focuses on her thoughts when going from the warm-up area to the mat as they will prove crucial to her performance in a bout.
“Once after the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Sushil Kumar told me one thing. I still remember that. He said ‘what goes on in your head when you take the walk from the warm-up area to the mat will decide whether you win or lose'. It has stayed with me and I have also experienced it quite a few times.
“When you talk that walk, all that you have to think is that you have to win. When I went up to the mat, all I was thinking was how I would win,” Vinesh concluded.
