2024 was a very eventful year for Indian sports. At the end of the year, ESPN India will select 10 images that capture the most amazing moments witnessed over the past 12 months. Third on my list is a moment that will live long in Indian sports history: Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
You remember that feeling. You may not want to, but you are doing it.
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On the morning of August 7, 2024, you, an Indian sports fan, woke up feeling light-hearted and with a bounce in your step. You were watching Magic just yesterday, weren’t you? Vinesh Phogat has achieved the impossible – against all odds, she has reached the Olympic finals. She’s been fighting the system on her way to Paris, and just yesterday she went to defeat the unbeatable champion, Yui Susaki. 82-0? No, 82-1. Fighting against the all-powerful system on the streets, injuries took a toll on her in the past Olympics, but she was still her. First Indian woman to reach wrestling finals. I had never felt such goosebumps before. The adrenaline that coursed through you when you saw her defeat Susaki is still in full swing, and when you open your eyes, the blood is still pumping through your veins, ready for the finals, Vinesh – Phogat was ready to do what seemed like destiny. do…
…and read the news.
“Vinesh Phogat will be stripped of his medal after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics after failing to make weight.”
When I first read it, I felt like someone punched me in the gut.
Most of us continue playing sports to escape the boredom of daily life, to live through elite athletes and cling to the borrowed pride of their victories, but sometimes when you get deep enough, you realize there’s something about sports. There is a habit of throwing . Gut punch, proper low blow. It might have been fair to follow different sports and different athletes, but this was something else. This felt like a ton of bricks, like someone had shattered your “I love sports” mantra and scattered it in the wind.
The headline made no sense. It wasn’t how I landed, it was when I was skipping a day, putting everything aside for the finals and getting ready for an early lunch break. Are you having trouble gaining weight? Lose your medal?
As the days went on, details emerged (“~100 grams… never?”), the cold truth sunk in, and I found a way to cope – I stopped watching the Olympics (at least for a little while). , sought relief from conspiracy theories and wrote tributes to Vinesh on social media. Still, life went on and December arrived. you forget that. you tried to do that. But if you take a quick peek inside, you’ll know…you’ll remember that feeling. You may not want to, but you are doing it.
