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Heartbreak at Paris Olympics: Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's Gold Medal Bid Ends in Disqualification
In a heartbreaking turn of events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Vinesh Phogat, who had made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, has been disqualified from the gold medal bout due to being overweight. The disqualification occurred ahead of her scheduled women's 50kg match for gold against Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) issued a statement expressing their regret over the disqualification. “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. 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,” said the IOA in a statement.
Vinesh, who had successfully cut down from the 53kg to the 50kg category for this competition, was found to be 100 grams over the permissible limit on the morning of the final. According to reports, despite her best efforts to meet the weight requirements, including extreme measures such as cutting her hair and attempting to draw blood, she remained 150 grams over the limit.
According to the United World Wrestling's rulebook, athletes must meet the weight limit both on the morning of the preliminary rounds and on the morning of the final. Vinesh was within the limit on Tuesday but exceeded it by the next morning. The rules state that any athlete failing to meet the weight criteria will be eliminated from the tournament and ranked last.
As a result of the disqualification, Vinesh Phogat will not have the opportunity to compete for a medal in the 50kg event. The gold medal will be awarded to Hildebrandt, while the two bronze medals will be decided after the repechage round. Vinesh’s disqualification means that the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling will have only a gold and two bronze medals.
Vinesh had previously made headlines by defeating defending champion and world No. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan, as well as securing victories against other top competitors to reach the final. Her remarkable journey included wins against eighth-seeded Oksana Livach of Ukraine and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semifinals.
