On Thursday, a wave of reactions poured in from celebrities after renowned wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from international wrestling. Among those expressing their support were Gulshan Devaiah, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dharmendra, and Sophie Choudry.
Gulshan Devaiah’s Reflections
Actor Gulshan Devaiah took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a heartfelt message. He posted a picture of Vinesh and expressed mixed emotions regarding her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight.
“Emotionally I hope an appeal is accepted & Vinesh is awarded the Silver but I also feel it’s unfair on every other athlete who’s been disqualified earlier under the same circumstances,” Devaiah wrote. He acknowledged the profound impact on Vinesh and her team, adding, “As a fellow Indian, I say thank you champ!!! Be Well.”
When asked about previous disqualifications, Devaiah admitted, “I don’t know. As much as I want her to win and get our appeal accepted, I’d want it to be on fair grounds… The pressure and disappointment are unimaginable to us.”
Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Emotional Response
Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu reacted by sharing a news article about Vinesh’s retirement on her Instagram Stories, accompanied by a broken heart emoji, conveying her sorrow without words.
Dharmendra and Sophie Choudry’s Support
Veteran actor Dharmendra posted a photo of Vinesh on Instagram, with a touching caption: “Darling daughter Vinesh, we are extremely sad to hear the news. You are a brave adventurous daughter of the soil. We love you and always pray for your health and happiness.”
Singer Sophie Choudry also took to social media, addressing the physical challenges athletes face. “A woman’s body gains weight even with the slightest hormonal change… 0.5kg seems an acceptable cutoff on day 2. To have 0kg excess after a bout and less than 12hrs for a weigh-in seems excessive.”
Vinesh’s Disqualification and Appeal
Vinesh Phogat, 29, was disqualified ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout for being marginally overweight. In an emotional social media post, Vinesh sought forgiveness and announced her retirement, saying, “Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me… Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024.”
Following her disqualification, Vinesh filed an appeal with CAS, seeking a joint silver medal. She had endured severe dehydration from extreme measures to meet the weight requirement, ultimately leading to her disqualification. Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who Vinesh had defeated in the semifinals, took her place in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
Vinesh’s retirement marks the end of a significant era in Indian wrestling, leaving fans and fellow athletes reflecting on her remarkable career and the challenges faced by sports professionals.