Asian Games 2023: Vinesh Phogat pulls out of event due to knee injury

Defending champion Vinesh Phogat announced on August 15 that she will not be taking part in the upcoming Asian Games 2023 due to a knee injury and will be undergoing surgery to fix the issue.

Defending champion Vinesh Phogat announced on August 15 that she will not be taking part in the upcoming Asian Games 2023 due to a knee injury and will be undergoing surgery to fix the issue.

She announced her withdrawal from the games on a social media platform known as X, formerly Twitter, and informed the concerned authorities so that a reserve player could be sent to the Asian Games.

Vinesh said that it was her dream to retain her Asian Games Gold medal for the country.

"Hi everyone! I wanted to share an extremely sad piece of news. A couple of days ago on 13th August 2023, I injured my reft knee in training. After doing the scans and examinations, the doctor has said that unfortunately, surgery is the only option for me to recover."

"I will be undergoing surgery on 17th August in Mumbai. It was my dream to retain my Asian Games Gold medal for India which I won in 2018 at Jakarta. But unfortunately, this injury has ruled out my participation now. I have informed all concerned authorities immediately so that the Reserve player can be sent to the Asian Games."

"I would like to request all the fans to continue supporting me so that I can continue make a strong come back to the mat soon and prepare of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Your support gives me a lot of strength," said Vinesh on X.