Vinesh Phogat Disqualified – This is becoming a regular happening in Indian sports and this time around Vinesh Phogat has been officially withdrawn from the 50kg freestyle wrestling final at the 2024 Paris Olympics because of overweighing. Phogat achieved what other young Indian woman wrestlers could not on Tuesday, as she put herself through to the Olympic final, and along the way bested defending champion and world number one, Yui Susaki of Japan. But she was caught and• 100 grams over the permissible weight limit before her last bout against American wrestler Sarah Hildebrand in the Champt-de-Mars Arena.
Weight Management Challenges
Under the rules, the wrestlers are supposed to do the weigh-in previous to the start of the preliminary rounds, and again on the morning of the final. What might have startled the two is that although Phogat was below the 50kg limit on Tuesday, she was heavier by the close of the day after having engaged in three combats. One report suggested she was 2 kg over the required weight in the night and she spent that night moving around on a treadmill, skipping, and cycling to shed the extra kilos. Nevertheless, even with these changes, she was still found to be 150 grams over the limit on the morning of the final. Among the alleged process, GetString Purposes hair removal trying to cut her hair and even trying to make her bleed, Phogat and her supporting society were also reported to have applied.
Rules and Regulations
According to the United World Wrestling rule book, in Article 11, such an athlete is disqualified from the competition and takes the last place. “If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank (Exception: Ref. Article 56 – Medical Service Intervention).
Impact on Medal Chances
Unfortunately, due to that disqualification, Phogat cannot fight for a first Olympic medal. Consequently, the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling will have only a gold winner in Hildebrand, and in addition; there are only two more bronze deciders through the repechage.
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Statement from the IOA
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) expressed regret over the disqualification in a statement: “Whatever treatment the team tried throughout the night this morning, she was a few grams over 50kg What more, no further comments will be made by the contingent at this time, But after reading the tweet that Gill said he regretted, the Indian team would like to focus on the competitions on hand and respect Vinesh’s privacy.
This unpleasant turn of events can be considered a critical period for Vinesh Phogat, who could have made a historical win for Indian wrestling in the Olympic Games.
Report By: Sonali Sarkar
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