Commonwealth Games and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat has pulled out of the forthcoming Asian Games in China due to an injury. The star Indian wrestler took to Twitter to share the news herself sharing a note on the micro-blogging website on Tuesday (August 15). "I wanted to share an extremely sad piece of news," she wrote. "A couple of days ago on 13th August 2023, I injured my left knee in training. After doing the scans and examinations, the doctor has said that unfortunately, surgery is the only option for me to recover."
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"I will be undergoing surgery on 17th August in Mumbai. It was my dream to retain my Asian Games gold medal for India which I won in 2018 at Jakarta. But unfortunately, this injury has ruled out my participation now. I have informed all concerned authorities immediately so that the Reserve Player can be sent to the Asian Games," she added.
In the build up to the Asian Games 2023, there was a controversy surrounding Vinesh Phogat's direct entry to the continental tournament in Hangzhou. It is pertinent to note that Phogat along with Bajrang Punia was granted direct entry into the games without a proper trial which led to several eyebrows being raised. Junior wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal even legally challenged the decision taken by the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOC).
"I would like to request all the fans to continue supporting me so that I can continue make a strong come back to the mat soon and prepare of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Your support gives me a lot of strength," Vinesh wrote in the concluding lines of her Twitter post.