Vinesh lost in Asian Games 2026 selection trials, falling 4-6 to Meenakshi Goyat in the 53kg semifinals after a dramatic comeback bid
Her return came after a legal battle, with High Court and Supreme Court orders securing her place in the trials
Vinesh accused WFI and officials of bias, alleging unfair refereeing, harassment and a system stacked against her
Despite missing the squad, she vowed to continue fighting and promised to return to the mat
Most wrestlers arriving at the Asian Games 2026 trials took a train, a bus, or a flight. Vinesh Phogat took the courts. A High Court order, then a Supreme Court order, within two weeks, just to secure her place on the mat. And still, on the morning of the trials on Saturday, 30 May, the uncertainty continued.
She reached Indira Gandhi Sports Complex at 6:30 am and was made to wait until around 8:20 am before she could weigh in.
And yet, she arrived.
Asked where she stood after everything she had been through, Vinesh Phogat smiled through tired eyes and let out a giggle. "Me Ziddi Hoon" (I am stubborn), she told Outlook India on the sidelines of the trials. "It is not over until I decide it is," she added.
The crowd at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex had turned up for a comeback. Some were anti-Vinesh, some were fans, one as fervent as having her face tattooed on both his arms. What they all witnessed instead was a window into how far Vinesh Phogat has had to fight, not just on the mat, but for the right to be on it at all.
Her campaign ended in a 4-6 semifinal loss to Meenakshi Goyat, her first competitive tournament since being disqualified from the 2024 Paris Olympic final, and it fell just short of a fairytale return.
"I am happy that I got to fight on the mat today. But we have been fighting way before this. We had to fight for every single point. The whole system was on one side, referee, judge, there was no fairness in the match. The system is like this with people like me who raise their voice against injustice," she said.
She added, "I do not feel I have failed. I do not begrudge the athletes who fought with me. Every young wrestler dreams of beating a senior, I was no different once."
She also said that her participation, and the courts intervening, had opened a path for other female athletes, that the federation would one day have to bring in rules making it easier for female athletes to return after having a baby.
Her husband, Somvir Rathee, sat on the coach's chair and rooted for her throughout, throwing his block onto the mat when points felt unfair.
The controversy came to a head when Vinesh was trailing 0-5. Going for a crucial pin, she looked poised to end the match. However, the referee intervened, halting the action to award Vinesh four points instead of allowing her to complete the pin.
The decision immediately triggered outrage from Vinesh's corner. Somvir Rathee stepped directly into the field of play to protest the officiating, throwing a water bottle onto the mat to force a stoppage. Following intense shouting and appeals, Vinesh officially challenged the decision, and won.
As if on cue, the official review screen stopped working entirely during the review. As Vinesh's camp loudly voiced their frustration over the technical blackout, the disagreement escalated further.
WFI President Sanjay Singh, along with members of his entourage, entered into a heated verbal altercation with Vinesh's support staff, bringing the trial to a temporary standstill. Singh stormed toward Rathee, and for a moment, it looked like it could turn into a brawl.
When asked what it felt like to watch the federation president walk up to her coach like that, Vinesh said, "They are goons. Whatever I say about them would be too little, I don't have the words. The shamelessness they have shown."
The disruption, she said, had not begun when the day started, it had been engineered to prevent it from starting well. "They are sending out notices at 11 at night so that I don't sleep or play in the morning. I have tackled everything. I have played on the mat," she said.
Asked how motherhood had reshaped her body and her approach to competition, Vinesh – who turns 32 this year – did not dwell on the difficulty.
"I have done a good job in the last 10 months. There are many young girls who are 20-21 years old. They are afraid that there is a senior who is still competing with them. I am competition for them. I will do my best for wrestling, if the system allows me to," she said.
What comes next was a question she could not fully answer. "I don't know what they will next allow me to do. I didn't know about the trials till the end. Now we are trying. We have a fight every day," she said.
Her allegations about what happened on the mat were specific. She described her opponent twisting her fingers through entire bouts and pointed to conduct she said would never be tolerated at the international level.
"They are pressuring the girls to injure me, twisting my fingers for a full six minutes. You can't hold someone's fingers in an international match for so long. When we say something, they say it is the rule. When our people say something, they say, "how can you say that?”" she said.
In the closing seconds of the bout, Vinesh challenged a call. Throughout the match, Meenakshi had repeatedly twisted Vinesh's fingers, an infraction that carries automatic warnings and point penalties under the rules. Both violations had been invoked, yet no points had been awarded against her during the bout. In that final second, Vinesh challenged the call.
The judges agreed. Her score moved to 4-6. It was still a loss, but it was a point hard fought and hard won.
Then, gesturing toward the stands, "You can see the entire WFI clapping when we go against them. People are realising their mentality. I want to show the truth to the country."
On whether her entry into politics had painted a larger target on her back, she was clear about where she had kept the two worlds.
"Since I have come onto this mat, I have not taken the name of any party. I have never said that BJP did this or any other party did this. I am keeping sports away from my politics. If I am on the mat, it is professional wrestling. If I am in politics, I am doing that professionally. I was never mixing the two. And I don't even want them to be mixed," she said.
She added, "The young children who are facing mental harassment, who are being tortured, who are not even allowed to breathe, the government should definitely look at that. If they want the Olympics to be held in India in 2036 and for us to do well, it will not happen by talking alone. Such people should be removed. If good people with good intentions come to the sports podium, our country will do very well. Otherwise, forget it."
"In India, athletes win medals despite the system, not because of it. We do not lack talent," she said.
"I have achieved a lot in my life. If I don't achieve more, I have no problem with that. But I want to show such people that yes, we will fight to the last breath against this system. Not just one win, but thousands of wins will come. I want to give courage to those girls, that we will have to fight against them. Until justice is served, this fight will not end," she added.
On what it cost mentally to return to competition after two years away amid an ongoing legal battle, Vinesh drew a distinction between distraction and pressure.
"There were a lot of distractions. I won't say there was mental pressure. After two years, I competed in my first tournament. I wanted to wrestle in Gonda to see how my body was responding before the trials. But they kept trying till the very end to keep me out. There is no problem," she said.
How Vinesh Phogat Performed At The Asian Games 2026 Trials
Vinesh opened with a 7-1 win over Jyoti in the first round, looking composed and in control. The quarterfinal against Nishu Kumari was where the day truly came alive. Nishu hit a four-point throw early and raced to a 5-0 lead, and the bout was repeatedly halted by challenges and scoring system glitches.
Vinesh clawed back with a four-point throw of her own, and at one stage appeared to have secured a pin, before officials ruled the referee had whistled incorrectly and wrestling resumed. She edged through 7-6.
The semifinal against Meenakshi Goyat, an Asian Championship silver medallist, arrived too soon. The quarterfinal had taken its toll, and two years away from competitive wrestling showed.
Vinesh lost 4-6. Her campaign at the 53kg trials was over.
India's Women's Wrestling Squad For Asian Games 2026
In the 53kg final, Antim Panghal beat Meenakshi Goyat 3-2, avenging a recent defeat against the same opponent at the Asian Championship trials. The final had its own drama, Meenakshi argued with the mat chairman with under two seconds remaining, was handed a red card, and refused to leave the mat.
India's full women's wrestling squad for the Asian Games 2026: Dipanshee (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Manisha Bhanwala (57kg), Mansi Ahlawat (62kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg) and Priya Malik (76kg).
Vinesh didn't make the squad. But as she walked off the mat, she had one last thing to say, "Vapas aungi, isi mat pe." (I will be back on this very mat.)
