NEW DELHI: In a heartbreaking turn of events for India, Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics after failing to make the weight on the morning of her 50 kg gold medal match.
Sources indicate that Phogat was approximately 100 grams over the allowed limit, which according to competition rules, makes her ineligible for a silver medal, leaving only gold and bronze medalists in the 50 kg category for a podium finish. Phogat met the weight requirement for Tuesday’s bouts, but according to the rules, wrestlers must remain within their weight category on both competition days.
“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,” the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement.
“She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach while talking to the media.
According to reports, Vinesh, who reached the final defying all odds, was approximately 2 kilos overweight on Tuesday night. She didn’t sleep the whole night and did everything in her capacity to meet the criteria, from jogging to skipping and cycling. Unfortunately, it didn’t prove to be enough. Sources said the Indian delegation pleaded for some more time to give her a chance to shed the last 100 grams, but in vain.
This isn’t the first instance where Phogat has struggled to meet the weight requirement in the 50 kg category, a lower one compared to the 53 kg where she usually competes. She encountered a similar challenge during the Olympic qualifiers, where she barely managed to qualify.
She was scheduled to meet Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA in the final today, a wrestler against whom Phogat has a better head-to-head record. But the American wrestler will now be awarded the gold medal while Phogat will return empty-handed.