Vinesh Phogat Comes Out Of Retirement, Targets 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has reversed her decision to retire and announced that she will return to the mat and begin training for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Friday, the wrestler said: “For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe. I took time to understand the weight of my journey: the highs, the heartbreaks, the sacrifices, and the versions of me the world never saw. And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth — I still love this sport. I still want to compete. In that silence, I rediscovered something I had forgotten: the fire never left. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise. The discipline, the routine, the fight — it’s in my system. No matter how far I walked away, a part of me stayed on the mat.”
She added: “So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that’s unafraid and a spirit that refuses to bow. And this time, I’m not walking alone; my son is joining my team — my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics.”
Phogat had announced her retirement shortly after the Paris 2024 Olympics last year, a day after she was disqualified from her gold-medal bout for being over the weight limit.
She became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final after a notable run in Paris that included a win over Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki. Her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport seeking reinstatement and a joint silver medal was later dismissed.
