How Vinesh Phogat beat “nature” and her own “demons” to win a historic medal at the World Championships | More sports news

Every attempt has failed. The closest time for this author to get Vinesh Phogat on the other end of a phone call was when she reached Belgrade airport to catch her flight home. “Woh shopping karne gayi hai (she went shopping),” the coach said Jitender Yadav. The phone did not connect an hour later, the Whatsapp messages only showed a check mark. The coach had boarded the flight, as were the women struggle team, including Vinesh, who wears her second medal at the World Championships – the only Indian wrestler to do so.
At home, after a 24-hour rest, the pattern did not change. Repeated attempts to reach Vinesh failed.
“She is like that, she doesn’t speak to 99% of the media,” said coach Yadav. Half Nelson. Tap out. Game over.
Last week, after shockingly losing his opening match in Belgrade against Mongolian Khulan Batkhuyag, Vinesh crossed his fingers. In wrestling, if an opponent who defeated you in the qualifying rounds progresses to the final, you become active again for the repechage rounds looking for a match. bronze medal.
Vinesh had similar hopes. Batkhuyag was fighting well and reached the final. Vinesh was alive again.

“We had no doubts that the Mongolian would make it to the final,” said Vinesh Yadav’s coach, speaking with Timesofindia.com.
Vinesh was the favorite for 53kg gold after the retirement of Japan’s Akari Fujinami. But the challenges for women in sport go beyond the realm of competition and fear of injury.
In the midst of her pre-tournament weight loss routine, on her way to Belgrade, Vinesh’s menstrual cycle began.
While it’s something female athletes around the world handle on a regular basis, dealing with menstrual cramps is never easy as they prepare for a big tournament.
For Vinesh, a second World Cup medal meant a lot. After a decade on the senior circuit, prior to his opening match in Belgrade, Vinesh had expressed his dissatisfaction with just one World Championships medal in 10 years.

(ANI photo)
But coach Yadav noticed something during training, which didn’t bode well.
“During the warm-up, if a player is fit and completely healed, his face turns red, glows due to rapid blood circulation. But there was nothing like this on Vinesh’s face during the warm-up before the start of the game. tournament. His face was yellow. It only happens when you haven’t fully recovered, “Yadav said TimesofIndia.com.
It was expected, though.
In addition to a phase of natural phenomenon, Vinesh was also trying to lose weight. She was 3 kg overweight about 48 hours before weight. To shed those extra pounds, she was mostly on an empty stomach. Finally, she was under 53 kg.
But the periodic cycle combined with a weight loss regimen put a strain on Vinesh’s body, which, perhaps, wasn’t fully ready for its opening game.
Coach Yadav said it is not taboo for female athletes to reveal the start of their menstrual cycle to their male coaches, as they have to work closely together. They openly discuss their problems.
“It is not hidden because we have to work together. It is natural. The players of Sab khul ke bolte hain (the players talk about it openly),” said Yadav. “Vinesh’s husband (Somvir Rathee) had reached Belgrade the day before our landing and helped her lose weight.”

(Photo: United World Wrestling)
Vinesh’s battles against injury and his struggles to maintain his mental well-being began after his bad injury at the Rio Olympics and a long recovery period after surgery.
But she made valiant comebacks every time an unfortunate injury knocked her out, like the concussion she suffered in 2017 or the elbow surgery right after the Tokyo Olympics last year. The comeback gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and this historic bronze medal at the World Championships testify to Vinesh’s determination.
But the Olympics remain an “unconquered monster” for Vinesh, especially after other medal-less Games in Tokyo, where she was sent off in the quarter-finals, which led to an emotional outburst. She was even suspended from the Wrestling Federation of India, but then she was fired with a warning.
As Vinesh was a gold medal favorite, her first round defeat in Belgrade at the World Championships saw her being targeted by many. Vinesh has responded to criticism of her after returning from the Belgrade World Championships, which remain a largely unsatisfactory exit for Indian wrestlers despite bronze medals won by Vinesh and Bajrang Punia.
“… for them (fans) it is only one day of their life after watching a match. What they don’t realize is that these things can seriously worsen and affect the state of the athletes, their mood, especially in difficult moments. , “Vinesh had posted a message on Twitter after landing in India from Belgrade.

Coach Yadav says his mental battles really began after his painful exit from the Rio Olympics.
“Physically the player jaldi fit ho jata hai, but psychologically upar aane mein time lagta hai (physical recovery can be faster, but it takes time to recover when you are psychologically down),” said Yadav TimesofIndia.com.
“After Tokyo, in Istanbul (ranking Yasar Dogu) his performance deteriorated. He was not physically fit and was returning after an injury. But it was important to play, because we had to plan the future (program) accordingly.
“The most important thing here (in Belgrade) was that this (medal) was important for his comeback. A CWG medal may be prestigious in the media but it’s not great considering the level of wrestling. A medal in a great competition goes a long way. good for a player’s mind and psychology, “added Yadav.
The medal, a second at the World Championships for CWG Vinesh triple gold, has finally been won.
After two repechage wins, against Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan for a fall and against Leyla Gurbanova from Azerbaijan who was injured, Vinesh found herself in the match for the bronze medal against Sweden’s fourth-seeded Jonna Malmgren.
She brought her injured knee into the match against Malmgren and fought her opponent as well as her mental demons to fight like a cunning fox, evading the Swede’s attacks and surprising her with tokens to score takedowns. Vinesh’s sudden outbursts, just when Malmgren least expected those outbursts from the Indian, caught the Swede dozing and taking takedowns.
Vinesh won 8-0.

A return medal, with a bit of luck after losing his opening match, was a monumental feat by Vinesh, who was not one hundred percent for the entire tournament. His bronze medal must be celebrated. Not only for the achievement itself, but for everything he had to overcome to get on the podium of the World Cup for the second time.
Add to all that consultation with neurologists to recover from the concussion she suffered in 2017, followed by battles with surgery and an emotional breakdown, it has been a journey from hell for Vinesh, and she is still decorated like no other among female wrestlers. country.
“It’s natural, when you chase something for years, like an Olympic medal, and all the focus is on that, when it doesn’t happen due to a small mistake, then it hurts,” Yadav told TimesofIndia.com.
And then he reiterated.
“Physically the jaldi player adapts to ho jata hai, but psychologically upar aane mein time lagta hai.”