Babita Phogat asks cousin Vinesh to rethink retirement

Commonwealth Games gold medallist grappler Babita Phogat on Thursday urged her cousin Vinesh to reconsider her decision to retire from wrestling following her disqualification from the 50kg category competition ahead of the gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics.

Competing in her third Olympics, Vinesh was found to be 100 grams overweight during the weigh-in ahead of her summit clash against USA's Sarah Ann Hildebrandt, following which she was disqualified and became ineligible for a medal.

As Vinesh's long-cherished Olympic dream shattered by a cruel twist of fate, the 29-year-old bid adieu to her international wrestling career, saying that she doesn't have the strength to continue anymore.

"In 2012, even I was not able to play the Asian Championship because I was overweight by 200 grams. There are several other instances where wrestlers have been disqualified for being overweight.

The entire world knows this happened because of the (wrestling) rules," Babita, a former world championship bronze medallist, told PTI Videos.

Babita said the country was saddened by Vinesh's call to bid adieu to wrestling and hoped that she would reconsider her decision and train for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"We hope that she will reconsider her decision and work hard to win a gold medal in 2028 and fulfil the dream of her mother and my father. Dad (Mahavir Phogat) has also said that once she come home, he will try to convince her to reconsider the decision and get back on the mat," added Babita.

During the wrestlers' protest at Jantar Mantar last year, Vinesh had accused Babita, a BJP leader, of weakening the agitation against then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Vinesh had then said that, "If you cannot stand for the rights of the wrestlers, then Babita we request you not to weaken out movement.

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024