Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024?
India's hopes for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 took a major hit as Vinesh Phogat, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, was disqualified from the women's 50kg wrestling final.
The 29-year-old wrestler was found 100 grams over the weight limit during the final weigh-in on the second day. Despite her team's best efforts on Tuesday night, Phogat couldn’t make the required weight on Wednesday.
"It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares 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 you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand," the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement.
Due to the competition rules, Phogat won't even be eligible for a silver medal either. Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán, who lost to Vinesh Phogat in the semis will now play the finals against USA's Sarah Hildebrandt.
In Olympic wrestling, athletes need to stay within their designated weight class to ensure fair competition. The weigh-ins take place the day before the competition, usually in the morning.
Wrestlers must meet the weight criteria for their category, and if they don't, they are immediately disqualified from the competition. Unfortunately, there are no second chances for weigh-ins; if a wrestler exceeds the weight limit, they face disqualification.
When a wrestler is disqualified, they are removed from the bracket, and their opponents may either receive a bye or advance automatically.
Vinesh Phogat's journey at the Paris Olympics 2024
Vinesh Phogat's journey to the Paris Olympics was filled with obstacles. At the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she was a strong medal contender but faced severe injuries that thwarted her efforts.
Her preparation for Paris was also disrupted by her involvement in a wrestlers' protest and an ACL injury, which made her miss the 2023 Asian Games.
At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh started with a remarkable 3-2 victory over Japan's Yui Susaki, the defending champion who hadn't conceded a point during her Tokyo 2020 Gold medal run.
She continued her impressive performance with a confident 7-5 win in the quarterfinals against Oksana Livich and a dominant 5-0 victory over Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman in the semifinals. Vinesh Phogat was set to become the first Indian female wrestler to win either a silver or gold medal at the Olympics, but it seems like her dreams are quashed.