After performing exceptionally well in 2018 and becoming the first Indian sportsperson to be nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports award, wrestler Vinesh Phogat is literally on cloud nine.
In a recent interaction with Hindustan Times, Phogat spoke on her nomination for the Laureus awards, her desire to break the myth that marriage hampers a woman’s career, upcoming Olympics, and being perceived as arrogant.
Here are the excerpts:
On being called arrogant
“Yes people say that (arrogant) but I know what’s inside me. And if it helps me on the mat, I don’t bother. It helps me on the mat. People say it’s over-confidence but for me it’s belief. I don’t get intimidated and your opponent also notices the body language. Some people work on it but for me, it’s God gift.”
On marriage
“People say that after marriage, we lose spark and fire but I want to break this myth. I want to take this fear out of girls that marriage is a barrier. I want to be an example, so I decided to marry early.”
“Of course you need support of your partner. There are a few in our society who do not believe in (love) relationships (without marriage) so they will ask why don’t you get married and some will say why marry so early? Now Olympics is a major competition and I have all the support of Somvir.”
On being nominated for Laureus awards
“Honestly I still don’t know what this nomination is about. I just know that my name has been put for voting. I had not even heard of Laureus. And if no Indian athlete has been nominated before, I can only be proud of it. It’s definitely huge for wrestling in India because it is still struggling for recognition.”
On the upcoming Olympics
“I feel India have 4-5 strong contenders, who can beat any wrestler in the world. I won’t take names but we can win 2-3 Olympic medals. The mindset has changed. Earlier people used to just look for participation or win a round at the Worlds but now medals are a possibility for all. I know these girls. After Sakshi’s bronze, girls are now targetting gold at Olympics.”
H/T: Hindustan Times