Terming the criticism on social media for not living up to his hopes of winning a gold medal in the World Wrestling Championships 2022, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat said that "athletes are not robots". Along with this, Vinesh asked fellow players to keep working so that the culture of such criticism will end. Vinesh won a bronze medal in the 53kg weight category last week in Belgrade. She created history by winning two medals in the World Wrestling Championships. She is the first female wrestler in the country to do so.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/0f05e9ce4efcee682c62f53802cc21067e13a8ff70d58c0eb2930e5116e4c42e.jpg)
The way Vinesh lost 0-7 to Mongolia's Khulan Batkhuyag in the qualification round, there was a lot of criticism on social media. Although, she made a spectacular comeback to win the bronze medal match after two rounds in repechage without losing any points. However, this 28-year-old player is deeply hurt by the criticism on social media.
Vinesh Phogat gave a befitting reply to the critics
She wrote in a post released on social media, "Athletes are humans and while being an athlete is a huge part of who we are, it doesn't mean we work like robots every time a tournament is announced. Not sure if this culture is in every country or this is just India where we have so many experts sitting at home,"
I hope everyone will be more responsible about their words.. Focus on what your athletes are doing well! People need to have a better perspective and stop the constant criticism in Indian sports. šš pic.twitter.com/C7CWCgODCH
ā Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 18, 2022
Vinesh said that the critics have no idea about the efforts and resources of the players. She wrote, "Every individual, professional or not, has chased hardships, struggles, and challenges through their journey. Difference is the world does not comment and criticize them, thinking they are experts on those professionals and their careers. But we have many who consider themselves as experts on sports who think they know the efforts, the hardships, and what goes into training an athlete."
Questioning the constant criticism of athletes, Vinesh said, "Why are we as athletes answerable to them about every detail when all athletes get back is comments on how they should train, what they should do instead of support and encouragement when times are tough. It is very discouraging when people assume they can comment on when athletes should stop or end their career when they should play and not play."
"My dear athletes, we are all on the same page and have similar journeys. Hopefully, someday we will try to change this culture with our consistent efforts, courage, and dedication."Ā She added.