Why didn't Vinesh Phogat compete in her usual 53 kg freestyle event and instead played in the 50 kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024?
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been a dominant force in the world of wrestling for years, but her journey to the Paris Olympics 2024 has been anything but straightforward. Having competed in the 53 kg category for the majority of the last few years, a shift to the women’s 50 kg freestyle event just before the Olympics was anything but easy.
Vinesh Phogat made her debut at the Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games, competing in the 48 kg category. At just 22 years, she was in peak physical condition, but as she grew older, maintaining that low weight became increasingly difficult. The natural changes that come with age meant that Vinesh had to rethink her approach to weight management in her wrestling career and move up weight categories.
After Rio, Vinesh transitioned to the 50 kg category and later moved up to 53 kg by the time of the Tokyo Olympics. But in 2023, Vinesh suffered a devastating injury that left her away from competition for a long time.
While Vinesh was on the hospital bed recovering, a new star emerged in Indian wrestling: Antim Panghal. Panghal won the quota for India in the 53 kg category, and in Olympic wrestling, each country is allowed to send only one athlete per weight category if they secure a quota.
While who goes for the Olympics is decided by a trial and not by who won the quota, little clarity or transparency on the trial dates left Phogat with no choice but to drop down to the 50 kg category.
This decision was not without its challenges, as Vinesh’s natural weight is around 57 kg. While many wrestlers around the world compete in a weight category 3-4 kg below their normal weight, competing almost 7 kg under is a big task.
Despite these challenges, Vinesh’s decision to drop down to the 50 kg category proved to be the right one. She fought through the Olympic qualifiers, securing her spot at Paris 2024.
Vinesh Phogat’s journey at the Paris Olympics 2024
Before the unfortunate incident that saw Vinesh Phogat get disqualified on the morning of her final, the Indian wrestler made headlines with her remarkable performance in her bouts leading up to the gold-medal match. Vinesh defeated Japan’s Yui Susaki, the reigning Olympic and world champion, as well as Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5 and Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán Lopez 5-0 in the semifinals.