Vinesh Phogat saw her hopes of earning a place in India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games come to an end after suffering a 6-4 defeat to Meenakshi Goyat in the women’s 53kg semifinal at the selection trials on Friday.
In a closely fought contest, Vinesh and Meenakshi went point for point for large stretches of the bout. Meenakshi, however, held her nerve in the crucial moments and stayed ahead when it mattered most, booking her place in the final with a hard-fought victory.
The defeat marked a major setback for Vinesh, who had returned to competition with the goal of securing a place in the Asian Games squad. As she walked off the mat after the loss, the former world champion and Olympic medalist left the crowd with a message that drew applause from those present.
“Mai phir aaugi (I’ll come back),” Vinesh said before leaving the arena.
While Vinesh’s campaign ended in the semifinals, Meenakshi’s victory kept her on course for an Asian Games berth as she advanced to the final of the trials.
Earlier in the day, Vinesh Phogat had marked her return to competitive wrestling in emphatic fashion, overcoming two challenging bouts to reach the semifinals at the selection trials held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
Competing for the first time since her heartbreaking Paris Olympics campaign, Vinesh began her day with a commanding 7-1 win over Jyoti in the Round of 16. The former World Championships’ medalist was handed a passivity warning early in the contest but quickly found her rhythm thereafter. Once she settled in, Vinesh dictated the pace of the bout and comfortably outscored her opponent to secure her place in the quarterfinals.
The action was briefly interrupted when the review monitor on Mat 1 malfunctioned, bringing proceedings to a halt for around 10 minutes. The delay, however, did little to disrupt Vinesh’s momentum heading into her next bout.
The quarterfinal against Nishu turned into a tense affair filled with controversy and heated exchanges. Vinesh found herself trailing 0-5 with three minutes remaining before the contest swung in her favour. During a pinning attempt by Vinesh, the referee awarded her four points instead of allowing the move to continue. Believing she was entitled to more, Vinesh challenged the decision and won the review.
Moments later, she executed an arm throw that was awarded only two points instead of four. Vinesh challenged again but was unsuccessful this time, although she had done enough to reduce the deficit and move into a 6-5 lead.
The first flashpoint came when Vinesh’s husband, Somvir Rathee, entered the field-of-play area to protest the officiating decisions. Tensions escalated further when officials reportedly failed to show the footage they had promised to review. The disagreement soon intensified, with WFI president Sanjay Singh and members of his entourage becoming involved in a verbal altercation with Vinesh’s camp.
Amid the chaos, Vinesh maintained her composure. She controlled the closing stages of the contest and edged past Nishu 7-6 to book her place in the semifinals, keeping her Asian Games hopes alive before Minakshi ended her run later in the day.
– Ends
