Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat expressed her gratitude on Friday towards her support team, which includes Dr. Wayne Patrick Lombard, coach Woller Akos, and physiotherapist Ashwini Jeevan Patil, as well as the Indian Olympic Association’s Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, following her disappointing end to the Paris Olympics.
Vinesh was disqualified from the women's 50kg freestyle final after being 100 grams overweight during the second weigh-in on the morning of the match. Despite her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the decision did not go in her favor.
Following the disqualification, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling, which dashed her hopes of becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic silver or gold medal.
In a heartfelt post on X, Vinesh shared her journey, reflecting on the struggles and comebacks she faced to compete at the highest level.
"Olympic rings: as a small girl from a small village I did not know what was the Olympics or what these rings meant. As a small girl, I dreamt of things like long hair, flaunting a mobile phone in my hand and doing -- things that any young girl would normally dream of," she wrote in a post on X.
"...My journey here has allowed me to meet so many people, most good and some bad. In the past 1.5-2 years, a lot has happened off and on the mat. My life took many turns, felt like life took a stop for good and there was no way out from the pit we were in. But the people around me had honesty in them, they had goodwill and massive support for me. These people and their faith in me was so strongly grounded, it is because of them that I could continue through the challenges and get through the past 2 years," Vinesh said.
"For my journey on the mat, my support team for the past two years has played a huge part," she added.
She said of Woller Akos, Anything I write about him will always be less. In the world of Women's Wrestling, I have found him to be the best coach, best guide and best human being, able to handle any situation with his calmness, patience and confidence. He does not have the word impossible in his dictionary and he is always ready with a plan whenever we face a tough situation on or off the mat."
"There were times when I doubted myself, and was shifting away from my internal focus and he would know exactly what to say and how to bring me back on my path. He was more than a coach, he was my family in wrestling. He was never hungry to take credit for my victory and success, always humble and taking a step back as soon as his work was done on the mat," Vinesh said.
"But I want to give him the recognition he much deserves, whatever I do will never be enough to thank him for his sacrifices, for the time he spent away from his family. I can never repay him for the time lost with his two small boys. I wonder if they know what their father has done for me and if they understand how important his contributions have been. All I can do today is tell the world that if it hadn't been for you I would not have done on the mat what I have done.
"Ashwini Jeevan Patil: The first day we met in 2022, I felt immediately secure by the way she took care of me that day, her confidence was enough to make me feel that she could take care of wrestlers and this difficult game.
"Through the past 2.5 years she went through this journey with me like it was her own, every competition, win and loss, every injury and rehab journey was hers as much as it was mine. This is the first time I met a physiotherapist who has shown this much dedication and reverence towards me and my journey. Only we really know what we went through before every training, after every training session and in the moments in between," she concluded.
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