Sreejesh hails Vinesh as a real fighter, says wrestler deserves Olympic silver medal

New Delhi: Now retired goalkeeper of the Indian men's hockey team, PR Sreejesh, believes Vinesh Phogat deserves a medal after reaching the final of the women's 50kg wrestling competition in the Paris 2024 Olympics after being disqualified for being 100-gram overweight.

Sreejesh, who claimed his second Olympic bronze medal recently, couldn't even imagine himself in Vinesh's position and said that he had no idea how he would have reacted to this kind of tragedy.

Vinesh had stormed into the Olympics final after stunning world No. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan. But on the morning of her final bout, she was found heavier than the prescribed weight during the mandatory weigh-in.

She appealed the disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), demanding a joint silver medal alongside Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, whom she beat in the semifinals. The verdict on her appeal has been deferred to 9.30 pm on Friday (August 16).

“There are two views, one being an athlete she deserves a medal, getting into the final, they snatched it from her, silver for sure. She was strong. If I was in her situation, I don't know what I would have done,” Sreejesh said at an interaction with PTI on Tuesday.

“The next day before our bronze medal match I met her and she said 'Bhai good luck, play well'. I felt like she was hiding her pain with that smile. She is a real fighter,” said Sreejesh.

“The second part is just different because you have Olympic rules and the Indian athletes know what is happening there and they should be ready for that. They shouldn't give any chance to the federation, to the organising committee, or the International Olympic Committee (OC).

“So it should be a lesson for everyone. When you are prepared for that you have to be strict with rules and regulations,” he said. Sreejesh cited the case of Amit Rohidas, who was banned during the quarterfinal against Great Britain. “Amit Rohidas in the quarterfinal is a case. The rule states that you can't raise your stick in the backward direction, you can't lift it that way because intentionally you are hitting someone and it's a red card. We played the semifinal with 15 players and we suffered. So the rules are made to make the game beautiful, controlled.”

Sreejesh said he's keeping his fingers crossed. “Being an athlete, I just wish well for her. The way she worked hard, we know what she had been through the last year and from there she is coming back, qualifying for the Olympics final, that is the answer for all. I really felt bad for her, it's a tough situation.”