Vinesh Phogat’s Paris Olympic Dreams Dashed: Disqualified After Weigh-In

GUWAHATI: In a sad turn of events for Vinesh Phogat, the wrestler will be disqualified from the Paris Olympics because she didn’t make weight for her 50 kg gold medal match.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has regretfully announced that Vinesh Phogat is no longer a competitor in the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. They admitted that despite their best efforts all night, Phogat came in just a little over 50 kilos this morning.

There will be no further IOA comments and Vinesh’s privacy should be respected as the team concentrates on the other matches, the statement said.

Earlier sources claimed that the wrestler exceeded the weight limit by about 100 grams, which could ultimately lead to her being disqualified. Under competition guidelines, Phogat will not qualify for silver medal even, thus leaving only two medalists in the category: gold and bronze.

Her weight was good for Tuesday’s bouts but according to rules, wrestlers must remain within their weight category for both days of the contest.

Against all odds, she managed to reach the final only to weigh in at about 2kgs over the limit on Tuesday evening. She didn’t sleep and worked throughout; until sunrise trying everything from running around town aimlessly to cycling while skipping ropes.

And yet it was not enough. For instance, informants reported that Indian representatives asked for an extension of time so as to help lose 100 more grams but were declined.

This isn’t the first time Phogat has struggled to meet the weight limit for the 50 kg category, which is lower than the 53 kg class she usually competes in. She faced a similar challenge during the Olympic qualifiers, where she just barely made weight.

On Tuesday, Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final. On her way to the gold medal match, she surprised everyone by defeating the world number 1 and favorite, Yui Susaki from Japan. She then secured two more impressive wins against wrestlers from Ukraine and Cuba.

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