New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Vinesh Phogat on Saturday received a grand welcome on her return to the country and after being feted by several supporters and 'khap panchayats' en route to her village Balali, the celebrated wrestler said it was better than winning 1000 Olympic medals.
Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the IGI airport here and welcomed Vinesh to the beats of 'dhol' when she made her way out with husband Somvir Rathi and Congress MP Deepender Hooda around 10:30 am.
Fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and panchayat leaders received Vinesh, who endured a heartbreaking exit at the Paris Olympics where she was disqualified for being overweight by 100 grams on the day of her 50kg final.
Heavily garlanded, Vinesh stood in an open Jeep and thanked all the supporters. Hooda accompanied Vinesh and offered her sweets.
There was a thick security cover around Vinesh.
Her caravan left for her native village Balali in Haryana and on the way she met her supporters who were stationed at different spots.
Hooda presented a mace, a 'symbol of victory' to Vinesh, who got emotional and was consoled by Somvir.
In a series of posts on social media, Hooda praised the 29-year-old Vinesh for her fighting spirit.
"In our eyes, you have been a winner in the past and will remain so in the future too. Your courage, struggle and determination have not only won the hearts of crores of countrymen but you are an inspiration to crores of youth of the country," read one of his tweets.
A group of around 50 supporters followed her jeep. They offered prayers at a temple in Delhi's Dwarka before continuing their journey towards Balali.
Vinesh had stayed back in Paris after challenging her disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanding a joint silver. The application was dismissed on Wednesday.
"She has come back to her country after such a long time. She is very emotional also. She will spend time with family and calm herself. What Vinesh has done for women is praiseworthy. She might not have received a medal, but she is a champion for us," said Sakshi Malik.
Vinesh's caravan covered the distance of 135 kilometres from Delhi to Balali in about 10 hours as she was honoured by panchayats on the way.
"So what if they didn't give me the gold medal, but people here have given me that. The love and the respect that I have received is more than winning 1,000 Olympic gold medals," Vinesh said in Badli, acknowledging the tremendous support.
Echoing the sentiment, Bajrang Punia said, "I told Vinesh that the love and respect she has received now is more than what she would have received after winning a gold medal. I want to thank the people of the entire nation." "I thank Manraj ji from Gulia khap who said that Vinesh is a diamond, and if there is something more valuable than diamond, then she is that." London Olympics bronze medal-winning shooter Gagan Narang, who was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent in Paris, called her a champion, posting a photo with Vinesh at the Paris airport. Both of them were on the same flight to Delhi.
"She came as a champion on day 1 into the games village and she will always remain our champion. Sometimes one doesn't need an Olympic medal to inspire a billion dreams.. @vineshphogat you have inspired generations. Salute to your grit," Narang posted on X.
"People are waiting to welcome her to our village. People are excited to meet Vinesh and encourage her," her brother Harvinder Phogat said.
The feisty wrestler, in her first reaction after her disqualification, on Saturday said that under "different circumstances" she could see herself competing till 2032 because she still has a lot of wrestling left in her, but is now unsure about her future as things "might never be same again".
Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after her disqualification.
In an emotional post on social media, Vinesh shared her childhood dream, the hardships she faced after losing her father, and also put on record the contribution made by people in her extraordinary journey. PTI