A shocking turn of events unfolded at the Paris 2024 Olympics as Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50kg women’s freestyle wrestling final. The reason? She missed the weight cut by a mere 100 grams during the morning weigh-in, leading to her disqualification according to International Wrestling Rules. This news came as a blow to Vinesh, who had defeated Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semifinals en route to becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic wrestling final.
However, the rules are clear, and as stated by the organizers, “Vinesh failed second day weigh-in. According to the article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the Semifinal. Therefore Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) will compete in the Final.”
This unexpected turn of events also impacted the bronze medal bout. Originally, a repechage match between the top-seeded Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki and Ukraine’s Oksana Livach was scheduled. Now, due to Vinesh’s disqualification, the match will become a bronze medal bout. Susaki had previously lost to Vinesh in the opening round of the competition, while Livach suffered a quarterfinal defeat to the Indian wrestler.
This incident serves as a reminder of the strict weight regulations in wrestling and the unfortunate consequences of failing to meet them. While the Indian wrestling community is disappointed by Vinesh’s disqualification, the spotlight now shifts to Guzman Lopez, who has a chance to claim the gold medal in a remarkable turn of events.
