Vinesh disqualified from gold medal bout at Paris Olympics; no medal prospects
Vinesh Phogat, who made history on Tuesday as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, was disqualified from the women’s 50kg event on Wednesday. This disqualification occurred just hours before her gold-medal match against American Sarah Hildebrand at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, due to being found overweight.
In a cruel twist of fate for the 29-year-old from Haryana, who overcame numerous challenges to qualify for the Paris Olympics and made a remarkable run to the final on Tuesday—defeating defending champion and world no. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan in the opener—Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on the morning of her final for being 100-150 grams over the permissible weight limit.
What was the issue with Vinesh Phogat’s weight?
According to the competition rules, wrestlers must weigh in on the morning of the preliminary rounds and again on the morning of the final. Although Vinesh Phogat was within the 50 kg limit on Tuesday, her weight increased throughout the day after participating in three bouts. The Indian Express reported that by night, she was two kilograms over the limit. In an effort to meet the eligibility criteria, she stayed up all night, jogging, skipping, and cycling.
According to a report in Sportstar, Vinesh Phogat and her coaches, along with her support staff, went to extreme measures such as cutting her hair and attempting to draw blood, but she was still 150 grams over the permissible limit.
What does the rulebook say?
According to Article 11 of the United World Wrestling’s rule book, an athlete who fails to meet the permissible weight requirement will be disqualified from the tournament. The rule states, “If an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), they will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank (Exception: cf. Article 56 – Medical Service Intervention).”
No Medal for Vinesh Phogat
Due to her disqualification, Vinesh Phogat will miss the chance to win her first Olympic medal. The United World Wrestling technical delegate stated that the repechage round between Japan’s Yui Susaki and Ukraine’s Oksana Livach will now serve as the bronze medal match. “Vinesh failed the second-day weigh-in. According to Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler she defeated in the semi-final,” the delegate explained. “Therefore, Guzman Lopez Yusneylis will compete in the final. The repechage between Susaki Yui and Livach Oksana will become a bronze medal match.”
IOA’s Statement
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) expressed regret over Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. “Despite the team’s best efforts throughout 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 that Vinesh’s privacy be respected and would like to focus on the ongoing competitions,” the IOA said in a statement.
PM Narendra Modi Offers Support
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to Vinesh as a “champion among champions,” offered his support through a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). According to a PTI report, he also spoke with IOA President PT Usha, urging her to explore all possible avenues to assist Vinesh in her case.
“PM Modi contacted IOA President PT Usha to get detailed information about the situation and the possible courses of action following Vinesh’s disqualification,” a source revealed. “He advised her to consider all available options to support Vinesh and also encouraged PT Usha to submit a robust protest against the disqualification if it could benefit Vinesh.”
