Last week, Balali village celebrated the return of wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the Paris Olympics with great enthusiasm. The 24-year-old wrestler, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal due to a weigh-in failure, was warmly welcomed by her community.
A touching moment came when 16-year-old Neha Sangwan stayed up past midnight to present Vinesh with a garland made of currency notes. Vinesh expressed her hope for the village’s young wrestlers to follow in her footsteps and make their mark in the sport.
It wasn’t long before the next generation of wrestlers began to shine. On Thursday evening, Neha Sangwan fulfilled Vinesh’s hopes by winning the Under-17 World Wrestling Championship in the 57 kg category. Competing in Amman, Jordan, Neha delivered an impressive performance, defeating Japan’s So Tsutsui with a commanding 10-0 victory.
In an interview with The Indian Express from Jordan, Neha dedicated her win to Vinesh and all women wrestlers. “It’s a huge thing for me and this title is for Vinesh didi and all the women wrestlers. Vinesh didi remains an inspiration for us all and this world title will inspire the women wrestlers back in Balali village as well as India too,” Neha said.
Neha’s father, Amit Kumar Sangwan, was overcome with pride and emotion. “Neha had spent the whole afternoon getting the garland made for Vinesh’s welcome last week. When she had gone on stage, Vinesh would tell her that girls like her should complete her dream.
To see Neha win her first world title would have made Vinesh happy too today. It’s a special feeling for the whole of Balali village too,” he shared. Sangwan, a former village sarpanch, was especially moved by the timing of Neha’s victory, just days after Vinesh’s stirring speech.
Neha’s wrestling journey began in 2016 when her father enrolled her at the academy run by renowned coach Mahavir Phogat in the neighboring village of Jhojhu Kalan. After winning junior national medals and becoming a Haryana state champion, Neha switched coaches to work with Sajan Singh Mandola at the Krishan akhada. Her father supported her training diligently, transporting her to and from practice sessions on a scooter.
Coach Mandola focused on enhancing Neha’s defensive skills, which had previously been a weakness. “She had the instinct to attack but then the opponents would take advantage of her weak defense. So I had to make her quicker on the mat. She would run in the fields to build stamina and also cut down on weight.
I would also make her wrestle against lower-weight category wrestlers to help her gain speed. Slowly, she learned to take advantage of her movement and speed and to make the counters,” Mandola explained.
During last week’s felicitation ceremony, Neha praised Vinesh as an inspiration. “Vinesh didi has gone where no other wrestler from the village has achieved.
For us, the Olympic gold was hers and that’s what we want to tell her. If we can emulate her even in a small way, we would be glad. Didi met us before the Olympics and told us that every single one of us should dream about the Olympics. That’s what will keep us going and she remains synonymous with the Olympics for us,” Neha had said.
Neha’s career has been on an upward trajectory. Two years ago, she won the Asian Under-15 title in the 54 kg category and also claimed a bronze medal in the 57 kg category at the World Cadet Wrestling Championships in Turkey. This year, she added the Asian Under-17 Wrestling Championship title in Jordan to her accolades before achieving her world title.