Tokyo Olympics: Very emotional Vinesh Phogat breaks silence, says ‘I don’t know now when I will return to mat’: On 5th August, World No. 1 Wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s journey at Tokyo Olympics ended in complete heart-break for her and the fans. Since than the Indian champion has gone completely into shell & haven’t spoken a word on her unexpected defeat. Vinesh now has penned a NOTE for The Indian Express – in which she has described what exactly had happened in Tokyo, reason for her defeat & also her current state of mind. Very emotional Vinesh says, ‘she is not sure if she will ever return to the mat again’
Vinesh says – she is so disturbed mentally that she may not return to mat again.
“I don’t know when I will return (to the mat). Maybe I won’t. I feel I was better off with that broken leg. I had something to correct. Now my body is not broken, but I’m truly broken”
Tokyo Olympics: Very emotional Vinesh Phogat breaks silence, says ‘I don’t know now when I will return to mat’ – Check Highlights of what Vinesh has written in the article
VINESH PHOGAT: What Exactly happened in Tokyo Olympics? Vinesh was seeded No. 1 in the Tokyo Olympics 53kg category. In the Round 1 she easily defeated multiple world championship medallist Soffia Mattsson of Sweden. In the Round 2 against Vanessa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus India champion looked completely flat, energy-less & completely drained out to lose & crash out of the Olympics.
Vinesh says “I was okay in Tokyo. I prepared for the humidity, I had salt capsules, I drank electrolytes. I just wished this problem would not arise.
I had a concussion in 2017, since then I have suffered from it. Things become blurry. It has gone down a lot but when my head strikes on anything, it comes back.
Maybe it was that. Maybe it was the blood pressure. Maybe the weight cut. I’m used to salt capsules. They helped a lot. But they did not work in Tokyo where I was alone”
VINESH PHOGAT – Physio not being there costed dearly: According to Vinesh not having her physio became a big hindrance for her at the Tokyo Olympics. Vinesh says she was assigned a physio of SHOOTING team who could not understand requirements of a wrestler and that resulted in her issues not getting addressed in a proper manner.
“I was reducing weight. I was my own physio and I was the wrestler. I was assigned a physio from the shooting team. She did not understand my body.
On the day of the bout, I was not getting the feel. After the weight cut, I warmed up, I still didn’t feel it.
I had not eaten the day before the bout. I drank some nutrition but I felt anxious. I called Purnima (my physio) asking her desperately what I could do.
In the second bout, I knew I was losing. I was giving up points from positions I would never have. I can see that everything is going away but I can’t do it. My mind was blocked to that level that I didn’t know how to complete a takedown. I was surprised that I was blanked out”
Tokyo Olympics: Very emotional Vinesh Phogat breaks silence, says ‘I don’t know now when I will return to mat’ – Check Highlights of what Vinesh has written in the article
Vinesh Phogat on accusations of ‘not training with the team’: Phogat says in past 14 months, twice she has been tested positive & in-fact to safeguard the other girls she decided to stay away from them.
“I was, in fact, thinking about them and wanted to stay away for 2-3 days to be sure that they were not at risk. What’s the big deal? After 2-3 days I was going to join them and even began training with Seema. So there’s no question of me not being a team-player.”
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