Anticlimactic: Vinesh, who started with a thumping win over Jyoti, ended up bowing out in the semifinals.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
wry smile, a wave of hand and a declaration — I will be back —loud enough to be heard by the top brass of Indian wrestling marked the end of Vinesh Phogat’s comeback dreams here on Saturday.But there was no lack of drama at the selection trials for the Asian Games at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The star wrestler —returning to competition almost two years after the Paris Olympics heartbreak — lost 4-6 to Meenakshi Goyat in the 53kg category semifinals, an ill-tempered bout marred by repeated interference from both her supporters.Vinesh started tentatively and conceded a point for passivity early on before Meenakshi earned a couple by pushing her out and taking control to race to a 4-1 lead. Vinesh then took her down for two points but Meenakshi effected one of her own to make it 6-3. A successful last-gasp challenge from Vinesh made it 6-4 but the scoreline made no difference to the result.
Vinesh Phogat.
| Photo Credit:
