The fire never left: Vinesh Phogat ends retirement, launches emotional comeback for LA 2028

NEW DELHI: Indias trailblazing wrestler Vinesh Phogat has officially reignited her Olympic journey. On Friday, the 31-year-old announced her return to competitive wrestling — ending her 18-month retirement with a powerful declaration that her “fire never left,” and that she is ready to chase her dream of stepping onto the Olympic podium at Los Angeles 2028.

Vinesh, who had retired in the aftermath of the Paris Olympics controversy, shared an emotional and introspective post on Instagram confirming her comeback. Her retirement had followed one of the most heartbreaking episodes in Indian sporting history: she reached the gold-medal bout in Paris, but was disqualified hours before the final for being 100 grams overweight, losing the opportunity to become the first Indian woman to fight for an Olympic wrestling gold.

“For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe,” Vinesh wrote, describing how stepping away from the sport helped her confront the highs, heartbreaks and sacrifices of the past decade. “And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth — I still love this sport. I still want to compete.”

She revealed the emotional reconstruction that happened during her time off the mat. “In that silence, I found something Id forgotten — the fire never left. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise.”

Vineshs comeback is also intertwined with a new chapter in her personal life. The Olympian, who won the Julana Assembly seat in 2024 before taking maternity leave, welcomed a baby boy in July 2025. This time, she says, she returns with her “biggest motivation” by her side. “My son is joining my team — my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics.”

Her Olympic journey has been turbulent: forced withdrawal due to injury in Rio 2016, a shock early exit at Tokyo 2021 despite being world No. 1, and the devastating disqualification in Paris after defeating three continental champions en route to the final. Her appeal to UWW was rejected, and even her escalated plea to the Court of Arbitration for Sport could not overturn the decision.

The emotional toll pushed her into retirement — but today marks a new beginning.

With her comeback officially underway, Vinesh Phogat is set to rejoin the elite cadre of Indian athletes who have returned stronger after motherhood.

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