Rio pain has made me stronger, says Phogat
FIVE years after being stretchered off the mat with a twisted knee in Rio, India’s Vinesh Phogat believes she has grown mentally stronger and technically accomplished as she resumes her bid for an Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Phogat’s dream of a medal in her first Olympics was cut short in 2016 when she hurt her ankle during her quarterfinal bout against a Chinese opponent and left the mat in tears.
“I now have the experience of playing one Olympics. I know what to expect, how to prepare and how to conduct myself,” the 26-year-old told the Times of India newspaper last Saturday (17).
“All these setbacks helped me become stronger, and I feel I enter Tokyo as a much stronger athlete mentally. I want to finish what I have started.”
Currently training in Hungary, Phogat is the world number one in the women’s 53kg category and also the top seed in Tokyo. She has been training under Hungarian coach Woller Akos since 2018 and the partnership had worked well for her, said the Commonwealth and Asian Games champion.
“People won’t understand from outside but earlier my game had technical flaws,” she said.
“I can see that now I’m smoother and display clean wrestling on the mat. I don’t feel stuck in the match any more. There is motion in my game.”
As for motivation, Phogat said she never forgot her pain in Rio.
“…every time I go on the mat for a match, that injury motivates me,” she said.
“It was one of the lowest points of my career. There was a lot of negativity from within.
“But I was able to come out of it and in hindsight, it has helped me become mentally strong.”