In a disappointing turn of events for Indian wrestling, Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the 50kg freestyle wrestling category at the Paris Olympics. Despite her remarkable performance that led her to the gold medal bout, Phogat was found to be slightly overweight, resulting in her disqualification from the final match.
BulletsIn
- Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50kg freestyle wrestling category at the Paris Olympics for being overweight by a few grams.
- She had previously defeated World No.1 and Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan to advance to the quarterfinals.
- In the quarterfinals, Phogat overcame Ukraine’s Oksana Livach with a 7-5 victory to secure a semi-final spot.
- Phogat then won against Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez to become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic final.
- The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) confirmed the disqualification, citing that Phogat was overweight by a few grams after a final weigh-in.
- The IOA requested privacy for Phogat and emphasized that no further comments would be made at that time.
- According to reports, Phogat was found to be 100 grams over the weight limit.
- Phogat, who usually competes in the 53kg category, had previously faced similar weight management issues during Olympic qualifiers.
- Despite efforts to shed the excess weight through jogging and skipping, Phogat was unable to meet the weight requirement.
- With three bronze medals already secured, Phogat’s disqualification removed India’s chance for a silver or gold in wrestling.
