Vinesh Phogat disqualification: Olympian Abhinav Bindra pens note for wrestler, says ’through you, we are learning...’

Amid a row over 29-year-old wrestler Vinesh Phogat's disqualification after her weight exceeded the permissible limit, India's first individual Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Thursday called Phogat a 'fighter'. Bindra paid tribute to Phogat and said she embodies the 'true spirit of a warrior'.

The Olympian posted on X, “It is said that sport is a celebration of human will. I have known that to be true many times in my career but never has it resonated more than today. As I look around me, I see a nation and its people celebrate your unyielding resolve (sic)”

He added, “You are a fighter – on and off the mat. Through you, we are learning what it means to never lose the fight in us, even as a loss weighs heavily. You embody the true spirit of a warrior.”

Bindra said, “Not all victories look alike. Some end up as a glittering souvenir in a cabinet but the ones that matter more find their way into the stories we tell our children. And every child in this country will know the champion you are. Every child will grow up wanting to face life with the resilience you have displayed. I thank you for that.”

Phogat was disqualified from the 50kg gold-medal bout for being 100gm overweight. Though she took desperate measures to keep her weight within 50kg, she fell short of the mark and eventually ended up so dehydrated that she had to be put on IV fluids at a polyclinic in the Games Village.

On Wednesday, Phogat appealed against her disqualification from the Olympic finals in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and sought she be awarded a joint silver medal.

Phogat is three-time Olympian, who has won gold medals in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games. She also became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final.

With agency inputs.