Vinesh Phogat: India’s Wrestling Warrior

Vinesh Phogat is an Indian wrestler from the famous Phogat family. She is the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games and has represented India in multiple Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat Biography

Born	25 August 1994 Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India
Education	Bachelor of Arts
Alma mater	Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, Tamil Nadu
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Spouse	Somvir Rathee ​(m. 2018)​
Relative	Phogat sisters
Sport	Freestyle wrestling
Coached by	Mahavir Phogat Woller Akos
Retired	2024

First Indian woman to reach Olympic final

The way she faced challenges on and off the mat, she has emerged as an example. Instead of getting depressed about what happened, she faced it bravely and became the first Indian female wrestler to reach the Olympic finals, writing a new story of courage and fighting spirit.

During that entire period, Vinesh had firm belief that her fight was right. After this he focused on getting the ticket for Paris Olympics which was a new challenge. He had to go down to 50 kg instead of 53 kg. There were many trial matches before the Olympic qualifiers and in the meantime he also had to undergo knee surgery. His career was once considered almost over due to an ACL injury in the Rio Olympics.

She had led a demonstration against the former President of the Indian Wrestling Federation, for which he was criticized a lot. The matter reached the police and the court. The critics had already packed Vinesh's sack but Vinesh, who was going to turn 30 in a few days, was not one to back down.

Rising Star: Wrestling Career Highlights

• India’s first woman to win gold at both the Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018, 2022) and Asian Games (2018).
• World Championship Bronze: Two-time medallist.
• Three-time Olympian: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024; competed across 48 kg, 53 kg and 50 kg categories.

Paris 2024 Olympics & Disqualification

• Became the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for an Olympic final in 50 kg at Paris 2024.
• Defeated reigning Olympic champ Yui Susaki (🇯🇵), Oksana Livach (🇺🇦), and Yusneylis Guzman López (🇨🇺) in succession but was disqualified for being just 100 grams over during weigh‑in the morning of her final match.

• Despite drastic measures—running all night, sauna, trimming hair, shortening the singlet weight—she missed the limit, ending her Olympic campaign abruptly.
• The disqualification altered the medal match lineup: her semifinal opponent was advanced to the final against USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt, who went on to win gold.
• In a moving statement, she retired from wrestling: “Goodbye Wrestling … My courage is broken, I don’t have any more strength now”.
• The Indian Olympic Association appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to award her a medal, and Prime Minister Modi called her a “champion among champions”.

Activism & Socio‑Political Impact

• Key figure in the 2023 wrestlers’ protest against alleged sexual harassment by the then‑WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Despite detention, Phogat and fellow athletes brought national attention to the issue.
• Following retirement, she transitioned into politics, joining the Indian National Congress, and won the Julana constituency in Haryana’s 2024 assembly elections as a Congress MLA.

New Beginnings: Personal Milestones

• Married fellow wrestler Somvir Rathee in December 2018.
• In July 2025, she welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with both mother and son reported in good health