Winner wrestler Vinesh Phogat touched in at Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday, coming from the heartbreaking experience of being disqualified in the 50kg final of the Paris Olympics due to being overweight.
Phogat, who was discovered to be 100 grammes overweight on the day of her fight earlier this month, arrived at the nation’s capital under heavy security.
Following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a joint silver, which was ultimately dismissed on Wednesday, Phogat was forced to remain in Paris.
Gagan Narang, the head de mission of the Indian delegation in Paris and a bronze medallist shooter from the London Olympics, referred to Phogat as a champion while sharing a photo of the two of them at the Paris airport. They were travelling to Delhi together on the same aeroplane.
“She entered the games village on day one as a champion, and she will always be our champion. Sometimes all it takes to spark a billion dreams is an Olympic medal. @vineshphogat, you have motivated generations. I applaud your perseverance,” Narang wrote on X.
“Vinesh is coming back to the nation. At the airport in Delhi, people have gathered here to greet her. In our community, people are also waiting to greet her. “People are enthusiastic about meeting Vinesh and supporting her,” stated Harvinder Phogat, her brother.
Her home hamlet of Balali in Haryana would also extend a hearty welcome to her.