Vinesh Phogat with Abhinav Bindra (R).
Credit: X/@Abhinav_Bindra
Paris: India's first individual Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Thursday paid glowing tributes to wrestler Vinesh Phogat, saying her fight resonated with him and she embodies the "true spirit of a warrior".
The 29-year-old, who had become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, was left heartbroken after she was disqualified from the 50kg gold-medal bout for being 100gm overweight, prompting her to announce a shock retirement.
"It is said that sport is a celebration of human will. I have known that to be true many times in my career but never has it resonated more than today. As I look around me, I see a nation and its people celebrate your unyielding resolve," Bindra posted on 'X' along with with a couple of pictures of meeting her.
"You are a fighter – on and off the mat. Through you, we are learning what it means to never lose the fight in us, even as a loss weighs heavily. You embody the true spirit of a warrior."
A three-time Olympian Vinesh, who has won gold medals in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games, took desperate measures to keep her weight within 50kg, which included going hungry, avoiding fluids and staying up all night to sweat it out.
However, it was not to be as she still fell short of the mark and eventually ended up so dehydrated that she had to be put on IV fluids at a polyclinic in the Games Village.
"Not all victories look alike. Some end up as a glittering souvenir in a cabinet but the ones that matter more find their way into the stories we tell our children," Bindra continued in his post.
"And every child in this country will know the champion you are. Every child will grow up wanting to face life with the resilience you have displayed. I thank you for that."
Vinesh on Wednesday had appealed against her disqualification from the Olympic finals in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal. A decision is yet to be taken.
The Haryana wrestler had spent over a month on the streets in Delhi, protesting against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment by women grapplers.