IMAGE: PR Sreejesh celebrates after India won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in Paris 2024. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis / ReutersLegendary Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh believes that Vinesh Phogat deserves a medal after reaching the final of the women's 50kg wrestling competition in Paris after being disqualified for being merely 100 gram over-weight.
The celebrated custodian, who retired from competitive sport after his second successive Olympic bronze medal, couldn't even imagine himself in Vinesh's position and said that he had no idea how he would have reacted to this kind of tragedy.
A week back, Vinesh scripted history at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final.
She had stunned world No. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan in her opening but was disqualified for the final after being found overweight by 100 grams during the customary weigh-in on the morning of the gold medal bout.
The 29-year-old then appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) , demanding a joint silver medal alongside Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to Vinesh in the semis but replaced her for the final following her disqualification.
"There are two views, one being an athlete she deserves a medal, getting into the final, they snatched it from her, silver for sure. She was strong. If I was in her situation, I don't what I would have done," Sreejesh said at an interaction with PTI editors at its headquarters here on Tuesday.
"The next day before our bronze medal match I met her and she said 'Bhai good luck, play well'. I felt like she was hiding her pain with that smile. She is a real fighter."
Sreejesh, 36, who won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in his glorious 18-year-old career, however, felt Vinesh's case should be a lesson for all Indian athletes.
"The second part is just different because you have Olympic rules and the Indian athletes know what is happening there and they should be ready for that. They shouldn't give any chance to the federation, to the organising committee, to the International Olympic Committee (OC).
"So it should be a lesson for everyone. When you are prepared for that you have to be strict with rules and regulations," he said.
He cited the case of Amit Rohidas, who was banned for lifting the stick during the quarter-final against Great Britain where India played with 10 men for 42 minutes.
"Amit Rohidas in the quarterfinal is a case. The rule states that you can't raise your stick to the backward direction, you can't lift it that way because intentionally you are hitting someone and it's a red card and what happened to us we played the semifinal with 15 players and we suffered."
"So the rules are made to make the game beautiful, controlled."
The CAS will deliver its highly anticipated verdict on Vinesh's appeal against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics later on Tuesday night.
"I am keeping my fingers crossed. Being an athlete, I just wish well for her. The way she worked hard, we know what she had been through last one year and from there she is coming back, qualifying for Olympics final, that is answer for all. I really felt bad for her, it's a tough situation," Sreejesh said.
