Vinesh Phogat Disqualified For Being Overweight: 10 Points
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics after being overweight for women’s 50kg gold medal match on Wednesday. The 2022 World Championships bronze medallist became the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to make it to an Olympics final on Tuesday.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement and said, “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.”
- Phogat lost her chance to secure the fourth medal for India after she was found 100 grams over the required weight today morning.
- Although Phogat made the qualifying weight for Tuesday’s match, as per the United World Wrestling rules, if an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in, they will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last without a ranking. Phogat is the first athlete to be disqualified from her final for not making weight.
- According to the rules, the seasoned wrestler will not be eligible even for a silver medal. The 50kg category will have only gold and bronze medal winners.
- Phogat was nearly 2kgs overweight last night and tried everything from jogging, cycling and skipping to lose weight the entire night, reported The Indian Express.
- The Indian delegates requested for extra time for Phogat to lose the last 100 grams but they did not get it.
- Phogat has previously struggled to make the weight in the 50kg category. She usually competes in the 53kg category. She narrowly made the cut in the Olympic qualifiers.
- The wrestler was supposed to tackle USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt in the finals. However, with Phogat’s disqualification, the US wrestler has bagged the gold medal.
- Reacting to the news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted,”Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India’s pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you.”
- Boxer Vijender Singh claimed the decision to be a “big conspiracy against our wrestlers and India.” He said, “She should have been given some time to drop those 100 grams. We have never seen this before for any athlete.”
- Phogat created history by defeating Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki who had never lost a match in her international career and is also a four-time world Olympic chamption. She then defeated Ukraine’s Oksana Livach, securing a place in the semi-finals where she beat Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez.
