Indian star wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s hopes to clinch the historic gold medal were completely shattered after she was disqualified from participating in the women’s 50kg final against Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA at the Paris Olympics 2024.
The disqualification came after Phogat was found to weigh 100 grams more than the permissible limit of 50kg, as confirmed by the Indian Olympic Association in the statement. The IOA requested for privacy as they support Vinesh Phogat during this difficult time.
Following Vinesh’s disqualification from the much-anticipated gold medal match, the IOA has reportedly filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the decision to disqualify the Indian wrestler from the final. As per the reports, the 29-year-old was weighed 2kg more than her usual weight category and had spent the entire night without a sleep and did workout to shed the weight.
However, during the weigh-in on Wednesday, Phogat was found to weigh 100 grams more and thus, she has been disqualified from the final.
Vinesh Phogat’s sudden disqualification from the gold medal bout has sent shockwaves across India and the Indian sports fraternity was completely gutted by the news of big setback for Indian contingent. Despite the huge setback, the likes of PV Sindhu, Abhinav Bindra, Harbhajan Singh, and other Indian athletes have hailed Vinesh as the ‘champion’.
Here’s how Indian sports fraternity reacted to Vinesh’s disqualification
Dear @Phogat_Vinesh, you will always be a champion in our eyes. I was deeply hoping you could win the gold. The little time I spent with you at PDCSE was watching a woman with a superhuman will fight to get better. It was inspiring. I am here for you always, sending all the…
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) August 7, 2024
Completely gutted . Sometimes u dont need a gold medal to be a true champion to people….
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 7, 2024
Heartbreaking to know that Vinesh is Disqualified for the Final match . @Phogat_Vinesh You are our pride. Keep ur chin up .. you are our Gold Medal pic.twitter.com/Qd6NnZiFWe
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 7, 2024
— geeta phogat (@geeta_phogat) August 7, 2024
Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat suffered from dehydration and was immediately taken to hospital. The dehydration was caused by rigorous training in order to lose 2 kilos ahead of the gold medal match. According to Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat had been focusing on reducing her weight over the last months by having a controlled diet.
The reports suggested that Vinesh did jogging, cycling, and skipping in order to reduce weight overnight. However, their efforts went in vain as he was found to be 100 grams more than permissible limit of 50 kg.
