10 young Indians who failed to win a medal, but showed promise at Rio 2016

Vinesh Phogat

The first female sportsperson to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016, Haryana-based wrestler Vinesh Phogat is all of 21 years old but has excelled on the world stage.

Relatively inexperienced when she first burst onto the scene at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Phogat still went on to win the title.

From the illustrious Phogat family, Vinesh made a name for herself when she was still a teenager, and looked poised for big things at Rio. Sadly, sidelined with injury, she pulled out of the Games after one bout, describing herself as very disappointed by the developments.

Despite this, she remains one of India’s biggest hopes going into the future, not only on the back of her talent, but the mammoth comeback she staged following a dip in her career post-2014.

There is no doubt that the 21-year-old can bounce back from this injury to excel in the future, and could win a number of titles en route to Tokyo 2020.