More precious than gold

New Delhi, August 17

Vinesh Phogat received a grand welcome on her return to the country and after being feted by several supporters and ‘khap panchayats’ en route to her village Balali, the celebrated wrestler said it was better than winning 1000 Olympics medals.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the IGI Airport here and welcomed Vinesh to the beats of ‘dhol’ when she made her way out with husband Somvir Rathi and Congress MP Deepender Hooda around 10:30am.

So what if they didn’t give me the gold medal, but people here have given me that. The love and the respect that I have received is more than winning 1,000 Olympics gold medals. — Vinesh Phogat

She is very emotional. She will spend time with family. What Vinesh has done for women is praiseworthy. She might not have received a medal, but she is a champion for us —  Sakshi Malik

Fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and panchayat leaders received Vinesh, who endured a heartbreaking exit at the Paris Olympics when she was disqualified for being overweight by 100gm on the day of her 50kg final.

Heavily garlanded, Vinesh stood in an open vehicle and thanked all the supporters. There was a thick security cover around Vinesh. After offering prayers at a temple in Delhi’s Dwarka, Vinesh’s caravan left for her native village in Haryana and on the way she met her supporters who were stationed at different spots.

Vinesh had stayed back in Paris after challenging her disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanding a joint silver. The application was dismissed on Wednesday.

“She has come back to her country after such a long time. She is very emotional also. She will spend time with family and calm herself. What Vinesh has done for women is praiseworthy. She might not have received a medal, but she is a champion for us,” said Sakshi.

Vinesh’s caravan covered the distance of 135km from Delhi to Balali in about 10 hours as she was honoured by panchayats on the way. On being presented a mace, a ‘symbol of victory’, Vinesh got emotional and was consoled by Somvir.

“So what if they didn’t give me the gold medal, but people here have given me that. The love and the respect that I have received is more than winning 1,000 Olympics gold medals,” Vinesh said in Badli, acknowledging the tremendous support.

Echoing the sentiment, Bajrang said, “I told Vinesh that the love and respect she has received now is more than what she would have received after winning a gold medal. I want to thank the people of the entire nation.”

Vinesh’s mother Premlata said they were hoping for a gold medal this time after suffering heartbreaks in the previous two editions. “She fought well. Entire village is waiting for her,” she said.

London Olympics bronze medal winning shooter Gagan Narang, who was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent in Paris, called her a champion, posting a photo with Vinesh at the Paris airport. Both of them were on the same flight to Delhi.

“She came as a champion on day 1 into the games village and she will always remain our champion. Sometimes one doesn’t need an Olympic medal to inspire a billion dreams.. @vineshphogat you have inspired generations. Salute to your grit,” Narang posted on X. — PTI