Vinesh Phogat (pronounced [ʋɪˈneːʃ ˈpʰoːɡɑːʈ]; born 25 August 1994) is an Indian politician and former wrestler, who is a current member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Haryana.

[17] At the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships held in Delhi, Phogat won the bronze medal in the women's freestyle 51 kg category.

[18][19] In the subsequent Commonwealth Wrestling Championships held in Johannesburg, South Africa, she won the silver medal in the 51 kg category after she lost to Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria in the final.

[24] She won the silver medal in the 2015 Asian Championships held at Doha, Qatar after she was unable to beat Yuki Irie of Japan in the finals.

During the quarterfinal bout against Sun Yanan of China, she retired after she suffered a anterior cruciate ligament injury during the match.

[28][29] Phogat made a comeback and participated in the 50 kg category in her second Commonwealth Games in 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.

In the event which was held in round-robin format, she won all her matches to secure her second gold medal across the Commonwealth Games.

She avenged her loss against Sun Yanan of China in the round of 16 before she beat Kim Hyung-joo of South Korea in the quarterfinals and Dauletbike Yakhshimuratova of Uzbekistan in the semifinals.

[35] In the subsequent 2019 Yasar Dogu Tournament, Phogat won the gold medal by defeating Ekaterina Poleshchuk of Russia in the final.

Phogat defeated the 2017 World Champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus to win the gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament held in Kyiv in February 2021.

[41] In June 2021, she won the gold medal in the 53 kg category in the Poland Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw after defeating Ukraine's Khrystyna Bereza in the final.

[48] In the women's 53 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, she bagged the gold medal after she won all her bouts.

[56][57] The match was a cagey affair with Susaki leading 2–0 through two penalty points until the final few seconds when the Indian effected a takedown and scored an upset win.

[58] Phogat beat Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the quarterfinals and Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba in the semifinals by point decisions to qualify for the final.

[66][67][68] In a short verdict, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed the petition filed by Phogat requesting a joint silver medal.

[69] After the 2024 Olympics, Phogat announced her retirement from sports, and upon her return to India, she got a grand welcome led by Congress leader Deepender Hooda along with a roadshow from IGI airport in New Delhi to her village in Haryana.

[70] Subsequently, she was also felicitated by the Haryana Khap Panchayat, a local farmer-based community organization, and many supporters urged Phogat to join politics.

[72] On 8 October 2024, when election results were announced, Congress could not secure a victory in the state, but Phogat won her seat,[73] defeating BJP candidate Yogesh Kumar by over 6,000 votes.

[73] In January 2023, Phogat along with more than 30 Indian wrestlers that included Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Anshu Malik, organised a protest demanding the dissolution of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and action against its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, after it was alleged that its coaches had been harassing female players sexually for years.

[82] After outrage by Phogat and other protesting wrestlers,[83] on 24 December 2023 the Sports Ministry suspended the newly elected WFI body led by Sanjay Singh citing the disregard for established policies and procedures.