Indian Celebrities Celebrate Vinesh Phogat’s Historic Olympic Final Qualification
Paris: As Vinesh Phogat made history by becoming the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for an Olympic final, the 29-year-old athlete received widespread praise from members of the Indian film industry for her remarkable achievement.
RajKummar Rao took to Instagram to share a photo of Phogat, writing, “And we are in the finals. It was such a joy watching you play live. You are the pride of our nation @vineshphogat. Good luck for the finals. Our prayers are with you.”
Actor Ayushmann Khurana also celebrated Phogat’s success, posting on Instagram Stories, “Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat couldn’t stop crying after her win from the unbeatable world No.1 champion,” accompanied by a National Flag emoji.
Riteish Deshmukh expressed his admiration on X, stating, “That’s what a champion looks like after beating the World No. 1 & Defending Olympic Gold Medal holder #VineshPhogat.”
Taapsee Pannu shared a video of Phogat’s winning moment, exclaiming, “This woman is going to be recalled as a benchmark in a lot of ways for decades to come! What a woman! What a crazy year she has shown! @vineshphogat, your fan for life.”
Randeep Hooda posted a photo of Phogat after her win on X with a “fingers crossed” emoji, while actor Kunal Kemmu wrote, “What a champ. Ufff. Sooooooo Proud!!!” His wife, who also watched the historic match, added, “First Indian woman to reach an Olympic wrestling final @vineshphogat!!!!! Soooo proud!!!!”
Phogat’s journey to the final included a dramatic quarter-final match against Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan. Despite trailing 1-0 at the end of the first period, Phogat staged a stunning comeback in the second period, securing a 3-2 victory and handing Susaki her first defeat in 82 international matches.
In her semi-final bout against Ukraine’s Oksana Livach, Phogat led 2-0 after the first period. Despite a strong challenge from Livach in the second period, Phogat, a World Championships medalist, held her ground to advance to the final.
Phogat is set to compete against USA’s Ann Sarah Hildebrant in the final on August 7, 2024.
