Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat faced a devastating setback at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. Despite strenuous efforts through the night, she was unable to meet the weight requirement for the women’s 50kg wrestling competition. As a result, she was disqualified from the gold-medal match against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the USA.
The Indian Olympic Association issued a statement acknowledging the disappointment and stating that Vinesh weighed in a few grams over the 50kg limit. They emphasized the need for respecting Vinesh’s privacy and requested that the focus remain on the ongoing competitions.
According to the weigh-in regulations established by United World Wrestling, an athlete failing to attend or meet the weight requirements during either the first or second weigh-in is automatically eliminated from the competition and placed last in the rankings. This unfortunate development means that Vinesh will not be awarded even the silver medal in the 50kg category.
The Indian wrestling contingent will now have to regroup and focus on the remaining competitions at the Paris Olympics.
