After making history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to make it to the final of an Olympic competition, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the gold-medal match on Wednesday. This happened because she was discovered to be overweight prior to her women’s 50 kg match against American Sarah Hildebrand at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
Tragically, Vinesh, a 29-year-old from Haryana who defied all odds to qualify for the Olympics in Paris and then orchestrated an incredible run to the final on Tuesday, which included victory over world No. 1 and reigning champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the opening round, was unable to meet the weight requirements on the morning of her final. She was dismissed because it was discovered that she weighed 100 grammes more than was allowed.
What was the problem with the weight of Vinesh Phogat?
Wrestlers are required by the regulations of the sport to display their weight on the mornings of the preliminary rounds and the championship match. Even though on Tuesday she was well inside the 50 kg maximum allowed, she experienced three bouts of weight gain during the day. Indian Express claims that she did not sleep because she was two kilogrammes over her normal weight at night and tried every possible activity to meet the eligibility requirements, including cycling, skipping, and jogging.
The athlete, her coaches, and support staff even went to the extreme of cutting her hair and attempting to collect blood, according to a story in Sportstar, but she was still discovered to be 150 grammes over the allowed limit.
What is stated in the rulebook?
Athletes who do not meet the acceptable weight cut shall be disqualified from the competition, under United World Wrestling Rule Book Article 11. “If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated of the competition and ranked last, without rank (Exception: cf. Article 56, Medical Service Intervention).”
For Vinesh Phogat, no medal
As a result of the disqualification, Vinesh will not be able to hold her first Olympic gold. As a result, there will only be one gold medal winner and two bronze medal winners in the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling. Hildebrand will take first place on the podium; the two third-place positions will be determined following Wednesday’s repechage rounds.
What did IOA say?
The IOA released a statement saying, “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Women’s Wrestling 50 kg class.” She weighed in a few grammes over 50 kg this morning, despite the team’s best efforts during the night. The contingent will not be commenting further at this time. The Indian team asks that you be considerate of Vinesh’s privacy. It wants to concentrate on the current competitions.
