NEW DELHI, Dec 12— Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced Friday that she is coming out of retirement to prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, saying her desire to compete remained strong despite stepping away from the sport last year.
“The fire never left,” the 31-year-old said in a statement on social media. “It was only buried under exhaustion and noise.”
Phogat abruptly retired after the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she was disqualified from the 50kg gold-medal bout for being 100 grams overweight. She later appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport seeking a joint silver, but the ruling remained unchanged.
“That moment forced me to step away — from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my own ambitions,” she said. “For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe.”
Following her retirement, Phogat entered politics and was elected MLA from Haryana’s Julana constituency. She and her husband, wrestler Somvir Rathee, welcomed a baby boy in July.
Phogat said motherhood became central to her decision to return. “This time, I’m not walking alone,” she said. “My son is joining my team — my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader.”
A three-time Olympian, Phogat was the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic gold-medal bout and has won gold at both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
