To keep track of her journey, Vinesh Phogat writes in a diary every night. These entries serve as an unfiltered emotional outlet, revealing the human side of the athlete. Everything she writes is driven by her obsession with the Olympics—she documents her training reflections, her rigorous planning, her rest patterns, and her ultimate goals. At the time, she felt she was in peak mental and physical condition.
Vinesh Phogat maintains a diary, which she updates every night. In it are her uncensored, unfiltered emotions; a glimpse into the person behind the athlete. Each entry, though, is centred around just one thing the Olympics. I have noted everything in the diary thoughts on my wrestling, my weekly planning, sleeping patterns, dreams, ambitions… I was in the zone, the wrestler says.
The momentum stopped abruptly on a Tuesday. As she was cooling down after a training session, her physio delivered the news: the Tokyo 2020 Games were delayed until 2021. Stunned, she stopped stretching mid-motion, feeling an immediate sense of void and loss.
The initial shock evolved into a cycle of disappointment and anger. Usually, Vinesh finds solace in retail therapy or simply getting out of the house to clear her head. However, those options vanished when Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented a 21-day nationwide lockdown. Laughing at the irony, she noted that all these life-altering events seemed to collide on the same day.
As the coronavirus pandemic forced the world into lockdown, the IOC found itself under immense pressure from the sporting community to postpone or cancel the Games. After coordinating with the Japanese government and the organizing body on Tuesday, the IOC decided to delay the event, which was slated to begin in just four months. While a specific new date wasn't set, the official statement confirmed the Games would take place after 2020, but no later than the summer of 2021.
Vinesh admitted she had been clinging to the hope that the pandemic would subside in time for the original window of July 24 to August 9. Still, she acknowledged that this was unlikely, especially after seeing other major competitions, like the European Championships, get pushed back by a full year.
Initially, the IOC wanted to hold off on a decision until April to see how the situation evolved. However, with nearly 43% of athletes yet to qualify and no sign of a global recovery, critics argued that proceeding would endanger athletes and result in an uneven playing field. Vinesh agrees that the decision was logical and fair, noting that she is fortunate enough to have training equipment at home to keep her fitness up.