In a shocking turn of events, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Olympics for being found overweight ahead of her women’s 50kg final in Paris.
Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in the event on Tuesday night. She was scheduled to face American Sarah Hildebrandt in the final on Wednesday but will now return home without a medal.
“She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach.
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Singh demanded action against the support staff attached with Vinesh Phogat in the wake of her shock exit from the Paris Olympics, saying the blunder of not maintaining her weight before the final was not acceptable.
The Indian contingent woke up to the rude jolt of Vinesh’s disqualification, hours before her gold medal bout against American Sarah Hildebrandt.
She was found overweight by 100 grams on day two of the weigh-in and resultantly disqualified.
Cuban wrestler Guzman Lopez Yusnelis, who had lost her semifinal to Vinesh, will now clash in the gold medal match against Hildebrandt.
Vinesh has been training with Woller Akos, her personal coach from Belgium and has also worked with South African mental conditioning coach Wayne Lombard.
“It is not a fault of Vinesh. She was performing amazingly. The coaches, the support staff, the physios and the nutritionists should take full responsibility,” Sanjay Singh told PTI.
“They should have paid attention to her all the time to ensure nothing of this sort happens. How this happened and how she went over the weight limit must be looked into.
Reaction from political leaders across arty lines came on x on Vinesh Disqualification
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
India’s pride, Vinesh Phogat defeated world champions but has been disqualified due to technical reasons.
She went through a lot. From protesting at the footpath for justice to reaching the pinnacle podium of the Olympics.
It is extremely distressing of what she must be going… pic.twitter.com/jQnCKNdq0L
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 7, 2024
Rahul Gandhi, Leader Of The Opposition, Lok Sabha
विश्वविजेता पहलवानों को हरा कर फाइनल में पहुंची भारत की शान विनेश फोगाट का तकनीकी आधार पर अयोग्य घोषित किया जाना दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है।
हमें पूरी उम्मीद है कि भारतीय ओलंपिक संघ इस निर्णय को मजबूती से चैलेंज कर देश की बेटी को न्याय दिलाएगा।
विनेश हिम्मत हारने वालों में से नहीं हैं,…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2024
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP
Today is a sad day for sports in India and unfortunate that the Government in its response has been found wanting. After hearing the statement of the sports minister in the Lok Sabha today on Vinesh Phogat it’s apparent the Minister has chosen to make her the fall girl. Is it…
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) August 7, 2024
