Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's Olympic dreams were shattered in a dramatic turn of events on August 6, 2024, when she failed to make weight for the final in the women's 50kg category. This disqualification means she will not compete in the final and is expected to lose her silver medal.
Phogat and her team had exhausted all measures to meet the weight limit, including extreme tactics like jogging and cycling whole night and cutting her hair and drawing blood, but these efforts proved unsuccessful.
Phogat, who weighed in 150 grams over the limit, will be ranked last according to United World Wrestling (UWW) rules, which state that any athlete who does not meet the weight requirement is disqualified and placed at the bottom of the rankings.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted out in support of Vinesh Phogat after she was disqualified ahead of the final match. "Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you," PM Modi tweeted on the social media platform 'X' (Formerly Twitter).
Phogat's disqualification marks the first time an athlete has been removed from an Olympic final for missing weight. This heartbreaking development comes despite her impressive journey to the finals. She secured her place by defeating Yui Susaki, ending Susaki's unbeaten streak in international competition, and went on to overcome Oksana Livach and Yuznelys Guzman in the semifinals.
On Tuesday, August 6, Phogat had made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final. Her victory over Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman, with a score of 5-0, had already guaranteed a medal for India.
The Indian Olympic Association released a statement expressing regret over Phogat's disqualification. "It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares the news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women's Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through 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 respect for Vinesh's privacy and would like to focus on the ongoing competitions," the statement read.
Phogat's disqualification is a significant blow, particularly as she had previously competed in the 53kg category. She had moved down to the 50kg weight class to secure her place in the Olympics. In April, she had spoken about the challenges of managing her weight, given her high muscle mass. "I will have to manage my weight a lot better. I have brought myself down to 50kg after so long, so I will try and maintain this as much as I can. It's not easy for me not to put on weight because my muscle mass is very high," Phogat had told PTI.
Phogat's Olympic journey has been fraught with challenges. She had faced disappointments in previous games, including the Rio Olympics and Tokyo Games, where she was eliminated early despite being a medal favorite.
The disqualification of Vinesh Phogat is a significant and unfortunate turn in what was shaping up to be a landmark moment for Indian wrestling.
