Neeraj Chopra and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Today is a very important day for India in the Paris Olympics. The maximum number of players selected in various competitions in the country are from Haryana. This time the biggest hope for a gold medal is from javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. Along with this, India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phoga
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Neeraj has to play the qualification match on Tuesday. If he qualifies, he will play the final on August 8. Neeraj, who has created many records for Indian athletics, would like to create history with his javelin once again in his second Olympics. 140 crore Indians are expecting a gold medal from him once again.
Vinesh Phogat will play her third Olympics
Vinesh Phogat will be competing in her third consecutive Olympics. Her wrestling competition begins on August 6 at the Paris 2024 Champ-de-Mars Arena.
A World Championships bronze medallist and gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Asian Championships, Vinesh is one of the most successful Indian wrestlers in history but her outing at the Summer Games has been disappointing.
Vinesh, one of the famous Phogat sisters, made her Olympic debut in the women’s 48kg freestyle category at Rio 2016 but suffered a serious knee injury that forced her to withdraw from the quarterfinal. Considered a favourite to win the women’s 53kg quarterfinal at Tokyo 2020, Vinesh once again lost in the quarterfinal.
Vinesh is playing in another weight class leaving her favourite weight class
With young wrestler Anit Panghal forced to drop down to her preferred 53kg category to accommodate the younger Anit Panghal, Vinesh has been forced to drop down to the 50kg category for Paris 2024 and will enter her event unseeded. She will be randomly drawn against one of the eight seeded wrestlers in the division for the first round.
Reigning champion Yui Susaki, also a four-time World Champion, is the top seed in the women’s 50kg category at Paris 2024. She won the Tokyo 2020 title without dropping a single point and has never lost a bout in international competition.
Led the protest against Brij Bhushan
In terms of Indian sports, the first month of the year 2023 was in the news due to a different big controversy. When about 23 players including some Olympians came out on the streets with the allegation of physical abuse against the then President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and demanding his removal.
The sit-in protest went on for several days and was mainly led by three wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat. This dispute was bound to affect the Olympic preparations of the players and it did.
Bajrang Punia had to face severe criticism when he could not qualify for the Maha Kumbh. As always, Vinesh Phogat defied all the difficulties and hurdles in her path and secured the Olympic quota. Now she will have a big challenge to win a medal.
Now know about both the players..
Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra was born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra village of Panipat district in Haryana. He graduated from Dayanand Anglo Vedic College, Chandigarh. In childhood, Neeraj was teased for being overweight. After which his father started sending him to a gym in Matalauda and later in Panipat.
Javelin thrower Javeer Chaudhary recognized Neeraj’s talent during his visit to Panipat Sports Authority. After this, Javeer became Neeraj’s first coach. After that Neeraj was admitted to Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula, where he was trained by Naseem Ahmed. He learned long distance running and javelin throwing from him.
He achieved a throw range of 55 meters, but when he went to participate in the 2012 Junior Championship in Lucknow, he set a record of 68.40 meters. After this Neeraj never looked back.
Impressed by Neeraj’s performance at the South Asian Games, the Indian Army offered him the post of Junior Commissioned Officer in the Rajputana Rifles. He was given the rank of Naib Subedar, which is not a rank easily available to athletes. He was formally inducted as a JCO in 2016 and given leave for training.
This picture is from Vinesh Phogat’s wedding. Her husband Somveer Rathi is with her in this picture.
Vinesh Phogat
Vinesh Phogat was born on 25 August 1994 in Balali village of Bhiwani district in Haryana. Vinesh’s father died when she was very young. After this, her mother raised Vinesh with great love. Her family has been known for wrestling since the beginning.
Vinesh’s uncle Mahavir Phogat encouraged her to wrestle. Initially, Vinesh was not interested in wrestling. Later, her inclination gradually increased towards wrestling. After this, she joined the list of Indian women wrestlers. On 13 December 2018, Vinesh married wrestler Somveer Rathi.