“Silver medal is her right; PM Modi should talk to IOC,” says Rajpal Rathi, Vinesh Phogat’s father-in-law

Sonipat (Haryana) [India], August 8 (ANI): After Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the finals of the 50 kg women’s wrestling event, her father-in-law, Rajpal Rathi said that the Silver medal is her right and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to the International Olympic Committee in this regard.

Speaking with ANI, Rajpal Rathi, father-in-law of Vinesh Phogat, said, “We demand PM Modi to take cognisance on this matter and put pressure on the Olympic organisation, as she has played and Silver medal is her right. It’s our right and she is the daughter of the country. We appeal to the PM to do the needful so that she can get the Silver medal.”

Rathi further said, “She had given her 100 per cent but what we can say? There might be some conspiracy.”

He also welcomed the Haryana Government’s decision to honour Vinesh Phogat and said, “We welcome this decision of the Haryana government and we are thankful to the Chief Minister for giving respect to our daughter. Along with it, we are also appealing to him to request the Prime Minister to talk to the Olympic federation about the silver medal to Vinesh. She played the semi-final and is righteous to the Silver medal.”

After Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling, Rathi said, “We have not spoken to her yet but once she is here we will try to convince her to come out (of retirement) and prepare for Gold for the country.”

Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling final at the Paris Olympics.

She shared her decision in an emotional post on X on Thursday morning.

“Maa kushti (wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness,” Phogat said in her post.

In a big blow to India’s medal hopes from the wrestling arena, the grappler was disqualified from the 50 kg women’s wrestling event for breaching the weight mark. Vinesh was scheduled to take on the United States’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the gold medal match on August 7.

Vinesh had entered the Gold Medal bout after beating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.

India will hope for medals in the remaining events where its athletes are competing. Avinash Sable will be taking part in the 3000 Metre Steeplechase final on Thursday.

India has so far won three bronze medals at the Paris Olympics and all of these came from shooting.

India had the chance to win more medals but failed to clinch after finishing at the fourth place in 10m air rifle, 25m pistol, skeet team, badminton singles and mixed archery team events.