Published 12:37 IST, September 19th 2019
Vinesh Phogat: 'Changed tactics suggested by coaches for WWC'
Olympics qualifier, Vinesh Phogat said she altered the strategy devised by the coaches for the key World Wrestling Championship match, which helped her win
Vinesh Phogat is her own person, was proved yet again when she altered the strategy devised by the coaches for the key Olympic qualification match and came out trumps. Ahead of her world championships' Olympic qualifying bout, the precise tactics suggested by coach Woller Akos were to "stay away from Sarah Ann Hildebrandt, block her right arm and protect the legs." However, Vinesh said she did exactly the opposite. "Coaches were suggesting something else but I felt something different on the mat and changed tactics accordingly. I felt she was getting in, but because I was not conceding the point, it was exhausting her," she said.
On changing her strategy
Speaking about changing her strategy on her own, Vinesh said, "I thought let's lure her into leg attacks more and stay solid in defence to completely wear her out. I let her come in but held her off. It worked for me. I knew how much strength she had compared to mine." The American number one got hold off of Vinesh's right leg in the second repechage bout five times but could not convert those moves into points. "Even if she had scored a few points, she would have got tired because she would have used all her power," Vinesh added.
On her injury during RIO Olympics
Vinesh Phogat has not yet forgotten how the Rio Olympics injury confined her to a wheelchair for some weeks. "My mother has almost stopped watching my bouts. She fears I may return with a broken leg again. Even if she watches, she will make it tough for others by shouting like Arrey tang chhod de meri beti ki, tod na diyo (Leave the leg of my daughter, don't break it)." While her mother keeps praying when her bout is on, her husband Sombir Rathee chips in with his inputs. "He may not have won medals but has a sharp wrestling mind. He would come up saying the same things what my foreign coach would suggest."
On winning the World Championship Medal
The world championship medal was missing from her CV for long and now that she has ticked the box, Vinesh said it gives her the cushion of a few months to plan better for 'Mission Tokyo'. "It's the first Olympic qualification tournament and a world championship too, so every athlete came here well-prepared and with a different mindset. Taking a medal from this group is definitely big for me. It's a relief because now I have a lot of time to prepare for the Olympics. And it's a bronze only. I want to convert it to a gold and also win the Olympic medal," she said.
Further, Vinesh is pleased with the way she trained her mind to overcome a few negative thoughts that plagued her mind when it came to switching her weight category. "I used to think how will I beat a 53kg wrestler like Sofia Mattsson, who is so strong. But I changed the mind-set and beat her. So I am moving in the right direction. "My better version is yet to come. I think you will see my best in Olympics, that's the pinnacle," she said.
After losing to Mayu Mukaida from Japan, Vinesh conceded just three points in next four bouts. "Anything can happen on the mat. You have seen the Korean girl (Yong Mi Pak) beat Mukaida 11-0 in the final and I have beaten that Korean girl twice. But yes, if I had won against the Japanese, the results would have been different. My category is such that five-six wrestlers can beat each other on any given day. Depends on the day and the body language," she explained.
On wrestling strong opponents
Speaking about wrestling strong opponents, she said, "I was not nervous because I had to wrestle strong opponents. It is a World Championship and qualifying for the Olympics was very important for me, so that nervousness was there. If I lose to a strong opponent, I don't mind that. Like I lost to Mukaida, she is good and I tried. Nervousness is good sometimes." Vinesh said though she has started to do well in the 53kg category, it still is a new category for her. She is still figuring out stronger wrestlers like Mukaida which will take some time. Vinesh had lost to her at the Asian Championship as well.
Updated 14:04 IST, September 19th 2019