In a devastating turn of events, wrestler was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after failing to make weight for her women’s 50kg gold medal match
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning,” said an Indian Olympic Association statement
“No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand,” the statement.
According to news agency PTI, Phogat was approximately 100 grams over the allowed limit, which resulted in her disqualification. “She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach.
Under the regulations, she is not even eligible for a silver medal, leaving only gold and bronze medalists in the 50kg category. By missing the weigh-in, she will finish last among the order of athletes.
“Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) spoke to IOA President PT Usha and sought first hand information from PT Usha on the issue and the options India has in the wake of Vinesh’s setback,” said sources in the Prime Minister’s Office.
“He asked her to explore the full range of options to help Vinesh’s case. He also urged PT Usha to file a strong protest regarding her disqualification if that helps Vinesh,” added the source.
Although Vinesh made weight for her bouts on Tuesday for the preliminary rounds, rules stipulate that wrestlers must remain within their weight class on both days of competition.
An Indian Express report said Phogat, who reached the final against all odds, was about two kgs over the limit on Tuesday night. She stayed awake all night, doing everything she could to meet the requirements, including jogging, skipping, and cycling.
Despite her desperate efforts, it was not enough. As per the report, the Indian delegation requested additional time for her to shed the final 100 grams, but their appeals were ignored.
This isn’t the first instance where Phogat has struggled to meet the weight requirement in the 50kg category, a lower category than her usual 53kg class. She experienced a similar challenge during the Olympic qualifiers, where she narrowly made the weight.
On Tuesday, Phogat had made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final. She achieved this by defeating overwhelming favourite and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, followed by two more strategically brilliant victories.
Phogat was set to compete against Sarah Hildebrandt in the final, a matchup where she has a favourable head-to-head record. However, with her disqualification, the gold medal will be awarded to the American wrestler, leaving Phogat empty-handed.
