Former Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat announces her Pregnancy
India’s Olympics wrestler and later turned-politician Vinesh Phogat has announced that she is expecting her first child with husband and fellow wrestler Somvir Rathee.
Vinesh made the joyful announcement via her official Instagram account on March 6.
She decided to retire from wrestling following her highly controversial and disappointing exit from the Paris Olympics 2024 event, where she was disqualified hours ahead of the women’s freestyle 50kg final bout.
Since her drawing the curtains on her sporting career, Vinesh has become a part of politics and even contested in the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly elections from the Julana constituency.
She tied the knot with her now husband Somvir in 2018. Following her big reveal on social media, fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik were quick to congratulate the expecting couple and pour their love on Instagram.
“Our love story continues with a new chapter,” posted Vinesh through her account. The post was topped off with the emojis of a foot and a heart, suggesting that the couple are expecting a child.
Vinesh Phogat, on the cusp of ultimate glory at her Olympics outing last year, was disqualified hours before the final. She was found to be a mere 100 grams over the authorized 50-kg weight limit for her event.
Vinesh usually competes in the 53 kg category but brought her weight down to 50 kg for the Paris Olympics, not an easy target to achieve certainly. On the second day of her weight check, she was found over the limit and eliminated from competing by the International Olympic Association officials.
The Indian Association had appealed against her disqualification, but it was outrightly rejected. A petition for a joint silver medal was also dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Emotionally devastated, Phogat turned to politics and secured a seat from her constituency in the Haryana local elections. She defeated BJP’s Captain Yogesh Bairagi and former wrestler Kavita Dalal from the Aam Aadmi Party with a huge margin.
Though she had voluntarily stepped away from wrestling despite having sisters Geeta and Babita Phogat in the same sport as renowned professional wrestlers, Vinesh had hinted at a plausible comeback in recent times.
With the pregnancy news declaration, her return to competitive wrestling seems like a distant reality now. We wish the happy couple all the joy in this exciting phase ahead.
In a country like ours, female sports athletes have often expressed their opinions on the existing gender bias, corruption, pay disparity and lack of facilities for them as opposed to male players. Vinesh became a household name and brought huge laurels for her country, inspiring young girls to take up wrestling professionally.
The current sports ecosystem is not completely friendly and accommodating towards the women athletes, despite stringent appeals and debates being held. Sportswomen like Vinesh Phogat are once in a lifetime player and deserve to be supported in their endeavors.
