Panghal sidesteps Phogat show to book Asian Games ticket
2 min readUpdated: Jun 4, 2026 11:50 PM IST Vinesh Phogat was knocked out of the Asian Games selection trials in New Delhi on Saturday after losing to Meenakshi Goyat 4-6 in a tense semifinal bout of the women’s 53kg event. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)The Wrestling Federation of India on Thursday said that it had received the reply of Vinesh Phogat‘s show cause notice which was issued on May 9. The national federation issued a statement after the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by WFI against a Delhi High Court order, allowing the World Championships medallist Vinesh to participate in selection trials, terming it as “infructuous” in view of subsequent developments. “WFI has received the Respondent’s (Vinesh’s) reply to the Show Cause Notice, which shall be adjudicated in accordance with WFI’s rules and procedures,” WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh said in the statement as per PTI.“WFI further notes that the conduct of certain wrestlers at the Selection Trials is under consideration and a decision in that regard is yet to be taken,” he added. Last Saturday, Phogat‘s comeback to the wrestling mat ended in heartbreak as Asian Championships silver medallist Meenakshi Goyat defeated her in the semi-final of the Asian Games trials on Saturday at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. Vinesh, who returned to the mat after two years, won two bouts but failed to make it past Meenakshi. Playing in the 53 kg category, Vinesh started with a 7-1 win over Jyoti but suffered a scare against Nishu in the next round. After she defeated Nishu in a highly charged bout which saw multiple stoppages and a scuffle at the end, Vinesh faced Meenakshi in the semis. Meenakshi played an aggressive game against Vinesh and attacked from the start and despite a late surge from Vinesh in the second half, won 6-4. Earlier this month, the WFI had declared Vinesh ineligible to participate in domestic events till June 26, citing the mandatory six-month notice period linked to athletes returning from retirement under anti-doping rules. A defiant Vinesh, however, showed up at the National Open Ranking Tournament in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda. (With PTI inputs)
