American wrestler Sarah Ann Hildebrandt claimed the gold medal in the 50kg category at the Paris Olympics, but the victory was shrouded in unexpected drama. Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, her scheduled opponent in the final, was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight, creating a chaotic turn of events. Hildebrandt, who had been preparing for the final against Phogat, was initially unaware of the situation. She thought Phogat had forfeited the match when she didn’t appear at the weigh-in, leading to a moment of celebration that was short-lived.
Hildebrandt, who had previously won bronze at the Tokyo Games, described the confusing situation: “I prepared for chaos, but that was not on my bingo card of chaos.” She recalled thinking, “(Vinesh) wasn’t at weigh-ins, so I was in my head like, ‘Oh my gosh, this might be a possibility.’ Then, we get the news that she didn’t make weight, and we were under the impression that it was a forfeit. So, there was a lot of celebrating.”
The celebration, however, was cut short when the true situation came to light. Hildebrandt explained, “It was very strange, like ‘Oh my god, I just won the Olympics.’ Then an hour later, they were like, ‘You did not win the Olympics.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, this is very weird.’ So there had to be a reset. I took a nap, woke up, and it was like a fever dream.”
Phogat’s disqualification was a result of her intense efforts to make weight. Earlier this year, she moved to the 50kg category to compete in the Olympics, employing extreme measures to reach the required weight. These measures included staying hungry, avoiding fluids, and staying up all night to sweat it out. Despite these efforts, she was 100 grams over the limit, leading to dehydration and the need for IV fluids at a polyclinic in the Games Village. The disqualification and subsequent replacement with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez proved to be a challenging test for Hildebrandt, who ultimately emerged victorious, securing the gold medal in a situation that was far from conventional.
