On August 13, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) once again delayed the verdict on wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal for silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. While the frustration grew in athletes and fans, India’s Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter who was with the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics had an advice for everyone.
Bindra compared the frustration of waiting for the verdict to what athletes go through every four years as they wait to compete at the Olympics. He wants the fans to continue to cheer Vinesh during this tough period.
Bindra took to X and wrote, “We’ve all felt that frustration when something important gets delayed, and today, many of us are feeling that as we wait for Vinesh Phogat’s CAS judgment. But here’s a thought—this is kind of like what athletes go through every four years, waiting for another shot at Olympic glory. The nerves, the anticipation, the “just get here already!” feeling—we’ve all been there, right?”
“Sport isn’t just about what happens on the field - it’s about the waiting, the patience, and the persistence to keep going, no matter what. So while we wait for August 16th, let’s remember what our athletes endure and cheer them on, knowing they’re playing the longest game of them all,” he added.
If Vinesh wins a silver medal, she will become the first Indian female wrestler to do so at the Olympics. Before Vinesh, only Sakshi Malik has won a bronze medal in wrestling which came at Rio Olympics 2016.
Vinesh disqualified but Yusneylys and Susaki play medal rounds
Vinesh was found 100 grams overweight at the weigh-in on the morning of her gold medal bout. Extreme measures were tried to get her weight down but they did not work. The Indian coaches appealed to the organisers to give her more time to shed the excess weight. However, Vinesh was disqualified and Cuban wrestler Yusneylys Guzman who she beat in the semifinal progressed to the final.
Meanwhile, Japan's Yui Susaki whose winning streak of 82 games was ended by Vinesh in the pre-quarterfinals progressed to the repechage round. Despite Vinesh getting disqualified, Susaki played the bronze medal match and beat Ukraine's Oksana Livach on technical superiority.
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