Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games dream ends after losing to Meenakshi Goyat in semi-final

In women’s 53kg, Meenakshi Goyat defeated Vinesh Phogat 6-4 in the semi-final of the Asian Games trials. Vinesh’s hopes of competing for India in the Asian Games ended there.

It turned out to be one of the most competitive encounters of the day at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Points were exchanged throughout the match as neither wrestler could build a sizeable gap on the scoreboard for long stretches. Meenakshi took her chances when it mattered and held on to take a 6-4 win.

That ended Vinesh’s campaign which had earlier resumed strongly in the day. In her first outing since the Paris Olympics, she had begun her challenge with a convincing performance against Jyoti in the Round of 16. Vinesh was warned for passivity in the bout but she quickly found her rhythm and dictated terms on her way to a 7-1 win.

Officials had to pause competition for about 10 minutes when the review monitor on Mat 1 failed, causing a brief technical interruption to the schedule. But Vinesh wasn’t affected by the stoppage and returned for a dramatic quarter-final clash against Nishu.

And Vinesh was trailing by five points with only three minutes to go, and it looked like the contest was slipping away. During a pinning sequence that led to the first review challenge of the bout, the momentum shifted. Then another challenge presented itself when an arm throw earned her fewer points than her camp had anticipated. Vinesh did not get a second appeal but she recovered well to inch ahead and eventually seal a 7-6 win.

Away from the action the quarterfinals also featured heated scenes. Vinesh's husband Somvir Rathee walked into the competition area to contest officiating decisions. Matters turned uglier over a video footage row with Wrestling Federation of India president Sanjay Singh and his entourage getting into a verbal spat with Vinesh’s camp.

Amidst the chaos Vinesh was cool and reached the semifinals where Meenakshi ended her run. Vinesh confirmed that she would be back soon, even though disappointed. “Mai phir aaugi (I’ll come back),” Vinesh said before leaving the arena.