PR Sreejesh, referred to as the “Nice Wall of India” for his stellar goalkeeping, emphasised that Vinesh’s expertise ought to function a lesson for all Indian athletes.
Legendary Indian hockey participant PR Sreejesh has expressed deep sympathy for wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the ladies’s 50kg wrestling last on the Paris Olympics, costing her a historic silver medal. Vinesh, who had already made historical past by turning into the primary Indian feminine wrestler to achieve an Olympic last, was stripped of her medal alternative after being discovered 100 grams over the permissible weight restrict on the morning of her gold-medal bout.
“Medal Deserved, however Snatched Away”
Talking in an interplay, Sreejesh, who’s broadly thought to be one among India’s best hockey goalkeepers, shared his ideas on Vinesh’s disqualification. “There are two views,” he mentioned. “As an athlete, she deserved a medal—stepping into the ultimate, they snatched it from her. She was robust. If I had been in her state of affairs, I don’t know what I’d have achieved.”
Vinesh’s case is at the moment underneath enchantment on the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the place she has requested a shared silver medal. Whereas the listening to happened on August 9, the decision has been deferred twice, with the subsequent replace anticipated on August 16.
Painful encounter earlier than Bronze-Medal match
PR Sreejesh, who retired after profitable a bronze medal on the Paris Olympics, recalled assembly Vinesh on the day of India’s bronze-medal hockey match towards Spain. “The following day earlier than our bronze medal match, I met her and he or she mentioned, ‘Bhai, good luck, play nicely.’ I felt like she was hiding her ache with that smile. She is an actual fighter.”
Lesson for all Indian Athletes
PR Sreejesh, referred to as the “Nice Wall of India” for his stellar goalkeeping, emphasised that Vinesh’s expertise ought to function a lesson for all Indian athletes. “The second half is simply completely different as a result of you have got Olympic guidelines, and the Indian athletes know what is occurring there, and they need to be prepared for that. They shouldn’t give any probability to the federation, to the organizing committee, to the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC).”
He cited an analogous expertise from his personal sport, the place Indian hockey participant Amit Rohidas was banned for elevating his stick in a quarter-final match towards Nice Britain, forcing India to play with ten males for 42 minutes. “The foundations are made to make the sport stunning and managed,” Sreejesh defined.
“Fingers Crossed” for Vinesh Phogat
Sreejesh expressed his heartfelt assist for Vinesh as she awaits the CAS verdict. “I’m protecting my fingers crossed. Being an athlete, I simply want nicely for her. The way in which she labored exhausting, we all know what she had been via within the final 12 months, and from there, she got here again, qualifying for the Olympics last. That’s a solution for all. I actually felt dangerous for her—it’s a troublesome state of affairs.”
Because the sports activities group watches and waits, Vinesh Phogat’s case serves as a poignant reminder of the skinny line between victory and heartbreak on the planet of sports activities, the place even the smallest misstep can have monumental penalties.
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