Vinesh Phogat: From protesting in New Delhi to medaling in Paris, Indian wrestler makes history

CNN
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A little over a year ago Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was sleeping on the streets of New Delhi as part of an athlete-led protest calling out sexual harassment allegations within her sport.

Now she is guaranteed to come away from the Paris Olympics with either a gold or silver medal in a remarkable tale of overcoming adversity both on and off the wrestling mat.

Phogat, a three-time Olympian who comes from a prominent Indian wrestling family, will face Team USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt in Wednesday’s final of the women’s 50kg category – guaranteeing her at least a silver medal.

Her journey to the final included one of the most stunning upsets of the Olympics so far when she beat reigning Olympic gold medalist Yui Susaki in a dramatic first-round bout.

Sasaki, who was widely touted as the best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestler in the world, had never lost a fight at the senior level and during the last Olympics in Tokyo did not even drop a point on her way to gold.

But Phogat came through with a late takedown to claim a 3-2 decision in their opening match before besting Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5 and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 on her way to the medal podium.

Phogat has already proven her grit – not just in sport.

In India, she and her fellow wrestlers have become the very public face of an ongoing protest movement that has created global headlines and sparked a fierce #MeToo debate.

She and other top wrestlers camped for weeks last year demanding action on sexual harassment claims made against the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

In January 2023, Phogat and other leading wrestlers wrote to the head of the Indian Olympic Association in a letter posted to X, demanding an inquiry into claims of sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a powerful politician from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the letter, Phogat said he had been “mentally harassed and tortured” by Singh after she missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The athletes then took to the streets to demand Singh’s dismissal, but paused their protests after India’s sports ministry said it would investigate.

But after months went by with little apparent action, Phogat and the other wrestlers took to the streets again, camping out for weeks in protests that became a flashpoint of criticism against India’s ruling establishment and ended in bitter clashes with the police.

“We’re Olympians, gold medalists, world champions,” Phogat told CNN from the protest site last year. “There’s been a grave injustice. We’ve dedicated (our lives) to our country.”

Dramatic images showed Phogat, her sister and fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat, and Sakshi Malik – who won bronze in 2016 in the 58kg category – being dragged by officers. The wrestlers were detained but later released.

In the days after, some of the wrestlers vowed to throw their Olympic medals in the Ganges river, the country’s sacred waterway.

“These medals decorating our necks no longer mean anything,” the athletes said in a statement. “What is the point of life when you compromise on dignity?”

In June, Delhi police charged Singh with assault, stalking and sexual harassment. He has denied all allegations against him.

Phogat’s fellow wrestlers have hailed her journey to the final as both a personal and collective triumph for India’s wrestling community who have long complained that the authorities failed to take their allegations seriously.

“Vinesh Phogat is the lioness of India who won back-to-back matches today,” Bajrang Punia, who won bronze in Tokyo and was also a leading figure in the protests, wrote on X.

“This girl was kicked and crushed in her own country. This girl was dragged on the streets in her country. This girl is going to conquer the world but she lost to the system in this country.”

Malik, the Olympic bronze medalist, added: “This victory and congratulations are for those who stood firm with us in our struggle… Many congratulations to everyone and many congratulations to Vinesh.”