How a group of champion women are driving India’s Olympics dreams

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United World Wrestling website. “I have been away from the mat for one-and-a-half years. I have come back after an operation.

Many people suggested that I should not go in the 50kg category because I could get re-injured. But I did not have any option. It was a do-or-die situation.

I chose the die option." Having taken the most difficult path to Paris, Phogat will compete in her third Olympics on the trot, making her the first Indian woman wrestler to do so. The Olympics hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Phogat: her campaign at Rio 2016 was cut short due to a horrific knee injury and she returned from Tokyo with a broken spirit. At her third, and possibly last Olympics, the 29-year-old will want to forge a few happy memories.

Whether she wins a medal or not, from taking on former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to making a remarkable career recovery, Phogat has already exemplified the best of sporting values. A firebrand on and off the mat, the wrestler will be one of the leading lights in the 117-strong Indian contingent at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which began on 26 July. The Olympics have always stood for sporting excellence.

But Paris 2024 will also mark the first time that the Summer Games seeks to achieve gender parity—equal representation of men and women on the field of play. According to the official International Olympic Committee (IOC) database, a total of 11,215 athletes, including backups, will be competing in Paris. Of those, 49% (5,503) will compete in women’s events.