Wrestler Who Missed Shot at Gold Cites Lesson From Mom

The Indian wrestler who was disqualified from the Olympics' 50-kilogram gold medal match because she missed her weight by a few ounces has finally shared her thoughts. Vinesh Phogat was eliminated Aug. 6 and announced her retirement in a two-sentence statement the following day. Her statement posted on X on Friday was far longer. Her 3-page letter included lengthy expressions of gratitude for members of her support team, but it begins by talking about her parents and their dreams for her, which were interrupted by her father's death and her mother's cancer diagnosis shortly thereafter. Phogat writes of how she and her siblings had to shift into survival mode, but she also writes of her mother's strength.

"Survival taught me a lot. Seeing my mother's hardships, never-give-up attitude and fighting spirit is what makes me the way I am. She taught me to fight for what is rightfully mine. When I think about courage, I think about her and it is this courage that helps me fight every fight without thinking about the outcome." (Phogat appealed to receive a shared silver medal, but that appeal was denied.) Her statement concludes with this:

• There is so much more to say and so much more to tell but words will never be enough and maybe I will speak again when the time feels right. On the night of 6th August and the morning of 7th August, all I want to say is that we did not give up, our efforts did not stop, and we did not surrender but the clock stopped and the time was not fair. So was my fate. To my team, my fellow Indians and my family, it feels like the goal that we were working toward and what we planned to achieve is unfinished, that something might always remain missing, and that things might never be the same again."

(More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)