Vinesh Phogat on Saturday stated she almost stop wrestling after failing a second time to win a medal on the Olympics in Tokyo earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pep speak rejuvenated her to proceed.
While a knee damage within the quarterfinals dashed her hopes in 2016 Rio Olympics, Vinesh once more crashed out within the final eight stage in Tokyo, regardless of getting into her weight class because the world No.1.
Vinesh admitted that the 2 disappointments pushed her to the brink of quitting wrestling, lengthy earlier than she reinvented herself with a gold medal on the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“Definitely, you can say that (Vinesh 2.0 reloaded). I have managed to cross a big mental barrier. I almost gave up wrestling because in two Olympics I couldn’t win a medal. Olympics is the biggest stage for an athlete. But my family always backed me, they always trust in my abilities,” the star wrestler informed PTI.
“When I was low, I met Modi ji (Narendra Modi) and he gave me motivation. He said ‘we trust you and you can do it’. That reignited the spark in me.” Vinesh stated the help she bought from her household and followers additionally saved her motivated to maintain going.
“Since childhood I like sports. I always play from my heart, I don’t have any pressure from anyone… I feel happy when I win. I always have the passion to win. My family is always supportive of what I am doing,” she stated.
“After you win everybody is behind you, but when you get the support after losing it matters a lot, and I have got that from my family, fans and well-wishers after Tokyo.” She stated for any athlete nothing is greater than getting rewards for arduous work.
“The most vital factor for an athlete is to duplicate the factor within the mat which you probably did in coaching. I couldn’t try this in Tokyo and I’m nonetheless very unhappy about it.
“But the arduous work I’ve put within the final one yr, the way in which I’ve managed myself, I needed to show myself… The help which I bought from all quarters was additionally in the back of the thoughts, I can’t disappoint myself.
“Some people whom I have never met, never knew them, they supported me, backed me, I just thought I have to rise again for them,” Vinesh stated.
“They are the ones who has been backing my wresting career and I owe them everything.”
