"We actually must be protesting very, very strongly " - Sunil Gavaskar on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from Paris Olympics 2024
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar opined that India must strongly protest against Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the 50kg freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics 2024. The ace wrestler was scheduled to take on the United States of America's (USA) Sarah Hildebrandt in the final.
Phogat's dream of securing a medal was shattered as she was disqualified for being a mere 100 grams overweight from the permissible 50kg limit on the morning of the final. Reacting to the grappler's exit, Gavaskar urged the Indian Olympic Association and the Indian government to respond strongly.
During a media interaction on the sidelines of the Spartan racing event, Gavaskar said (via TOI):
"I think it's unfortunate and unfair. I do hope that the authorities will take notice of it, take a strong response to this because this is not just the initial round. We're talking about the gold medal round and therefore this cannot and should not be taken lying down by anybody in India — whether it's the Indian Olympic Association or the government of India. I think we actually must be protesting very, very strongly about this whole issue."
Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian female wrestler to advance to an Olympic final. She achieved the feat by beating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman 5-0 on Tuesday, August 6, in the semifinal.
With this victory, Phogat was assured of at least a silver medal. However, following her disqualification, Guzman will now compete against Hildebrandt for the gold medal and Phogat will return home empty-handed.
"We should all stand by her" - Amit Mishra on Vinesh Phogat's exit from Paris Olympics 2024
Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra also reacted to Vinesh Phogat's disqualification. He expressed disappointment over the grappler's exit from the event.
He urged the Indian fans to extend support to Phogat amid the tough period. Taking to the microblogging platform X, Mishra wrote:
"I am disappointed by the turn of events for Vinesh Phogat. At this point we should all stand by her. She may not have won any medals this time but she has won our hearts."
It is worth mentioning that Phogat would have become the first Indian female wrestler to clinch a silver or a gold medal at the Olympics had she not been disqualified.