Vinesh Phogat turned eyebrows with her final performance in the 50kg freestyle wrestling division at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She pulled off the greatest upset of the Olympics by defeating Yui Susaki, the four-time Olympic champion from Japan. She then overcame Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez by pinning down Oksana Livach of Ukraine, making history as the first Indian woman wrestler to go to the Olympics final.
For the tenacious Phogat supporters as well as his Indian fans back home, however, Wednesday proved to be a nightmare. The 29-year-old, who typically competes in the 53kg freestyle division, said she switched to a different division for her most recent Olympic competition. She was only 100 grammes overweight when she was discovered, just before she faced Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA in the final.
The rules state that a wrestler will be disqualified from the competition if they fail the weigh-in on any of the three competition days (preliminaries, repêchage, and final rounds). As part of this process, Phogat weighed 100 grammes over the recommended 50 kg weight for the final duel when she was weighed early in the morning. It is important to remember that Phogat advanced to the historic final by winning three bouts (fights) despite not being ranked or ranked.
“The Indian contingent regretfully informs you that Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the women’s 50kg wrestling competition. Her weight this morning was a few grammes over 50kg, despite the team’s best efforts throughout the night. The contingent will not be making any more remarks at this time. Please respect Vinesh’s privacy, as requested by the Indian team.
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The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) stated in a statement that it would prefer to concentrate on the current competitions.
Here’s how the cricketing community reacted to Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification:
Heartbreaking 💔💔💔💔💔 to know that Vinesh is Disqualified for the Final match . @Phogat_Vinesh You are our pride. Keep ur chin up .. you are our Gold Medal 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/Qd6NnZiFWe
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 7, 2024
Vinesh phOGat- you are the OG of wrestling 🔥🇮🇳
you have already won a billion hearts and YOU ARE A CHAMP! Keep inspiring!
Bounce back stronger 💪🏻@Phogat_Vinesh
— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket) August 7, 2024
Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Olympics is heartbreaking. Her hard work and dedication deserved better. Stay strong, champion.#olympics #Paris2024
— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) August 7, 2024
A few meters, seconds, or grams can mean the difference between a nation celebrating you or forgetting you in a week, making you a symbol of sympathy. Athletes don’t need that ,they need respect. We must change our mindset towards sporting losses. #respect 🫶🏻
— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) August 7, 2024
India
