Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian woman to win two World Championship medals
Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian woman to win two World Championship medals: “Really, you should have seen her the night before. She didn’t drink a drop of water, let alone eat, for days on end. She wore her sauna suit, ran miles, and slept on an empty stomach. Got up the next day and started all over again.”
The head coach of the Indian women’s wrestling team, Jitender Yadav, is detailing Vinesh Phogat’s arduous battle to cut weight and meet regulations before a major match.
The wrestler, who now competes at 53 kilograms (kg), dropped 5 kg (10 lbs) in the past two weeks. She tacked on three kg in the two days leading up to her first fight.
Weight
Wrestlers typically abstain from all food and beverages for many days leading up to weigh-ins, so Vinesh likely performed some frantic last-minute exercises and did the same to make weight.
This made her feel a little lost before her first match of the World Championships in Belgrade, where she was to face Khulan Batkhuyag of Mongolia. Sadly, she didn’t bounce back quickly following the weight reduction, Jitender told The Indian Express from Belgrade.
The only explanation was that one factor was the difference in the match’s outcome. “Today, the healing was better, and you witnessed how she fought like a beast.”
On Tuesday, Vinesh was surprisingly pushed into submission by Batkhuyag; on Wednesday, she became the first Indian woman to win two medals at the World Championships, with a bronze and a repechage victory. In 2019, Vinesh won her second bronze medal at the World Championships by defeating fourth-seeded Jonna Malmgren 8-0.
While she steamrolled her Swedish opponent, Vinesh did not grin or celebrate until Jitender took her on his shoulders and carried her out of the arena. Perhaps she was still in shock from her loss on Tuesday. Even so, her expression was one of relief rather than joy.
In spite of participating at the highest level for over a decade, I have won only one medal at the World Championships. Vinesh had declared before her performance, “I can’t be content with that.” “Winning a medal would be a huge boost to my self-esteem.”
That’s what the bronze medal is all about: having more faith in yourself.
Career
Vinesh, whose career was derailed by injuries and personal struggles after Tokyo, has said many times that winning the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games was “reassuring,” that winning the gold in Birmingham was a “confidence booster,” and that winning the trials for the World Championship by defeating newcomer Antim Panghal showed she was “headed in the right direction.”
What’s more, Vinesh can take comfort in the fact that she still managed to place third despite not being at her best performance. It’s not only about the medals; when Japan’s Akari Fujinami pulled out, she was the clear favorite to win gold in Belgrade. How she is winning the fights is also important, says Jitender.
“Vinesh isn’t just counting on her physical prowess. She is using strategy to rack up points, as evidenced by her ability to both hold and counters her opponent while also perfectly timing her own assaults.
This is seen in two recent fights. On Wednesday, she patiently waited for Malmgren to make the first move and try a single-leg takedown.
Vinesh sidestepped the strike and quickly countered by circling behind her foe for a takedown of her own. Malmgren was taken aback by the explosive intensity displayed in the second takedown, which involved lifting the target like a barrel and then tossing them onto the mat with one fluid motion.
Vinesh, a new challenger in the 53kg division, was the U-20 World Champion before being defeated by Vinesh in the selection trials for the World Championships. After the trial, Vinesh discussed the potential implications of the short turnaround time between events on her recovery and the World Championships’ final outcome.
Heavy weight training would have caused me to gain weight after the CWG, so I had to give it up. So, she explained, “I trained exclusively for speed and strength in the short burst.
“I really need to get some sleep, but that hasn’t been an option. All my hard work and intense preparation over the past six months have been leading up to the World Championships, and I couldn’t afford to miss it. I hope to look back on my World Championship medals with pride after my competitive career is over.
Perhaps she would have won a different medal if she had been given more time to recover between the CWG and the Worlds. Instead of the customary 55kg allowance (+2) conceded in Indian trials, she was forced to trim an extra kilo to 54kg in order to meet the weight requirements.
Jitender said they will now concentrate on keeping Vinesh’s weight within her weight category so that she doesn’t have to drastically cut her food intake before an event.
To which I reply, “Since recovery is a problem, this is one answer for it,” he replies. This finding, however, fills us with optimism. Vinesh is now getting back on track after the trials she endured after the Olympics.
Iranian starlet pitted against Israeli opponent
Amirmohammad Yazdanicherati of Iran is a silver medalist at the World Championships, but he is currently in a precarious position. The 22-year-old was matched up with Joshua Stuart of Israel in Belgrade’s first round of the 70-kilogram division.
On Thursday, they will have their scheduled meeting. The Iranian government has a policy of not sanctioning competition between Iranian and Israeli athletes, which means Yazdanicherati may be compelled to forfeit the match and miss out on a chance to compete in the final.
Naveen of India, who will also compete in the 70kg event, will face off against Japan’s Taishi Narikuni, the defending Asian Champion. The CWG winner, assuming he survives the opening round, will face Syrbaz Talgat of Kazakhstan, who won bronze in Asia.
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