Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has just had a regretful match when she was disqualified from the final of the 50kg category due to being overweight.
According to the latest announcement from the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA), female wrestler Vinesh Phogat has not qualified to participate in the final of the women’s freestyle wrestling in the 50kg category. The reason is said to be because Phogat was overweight during the weight check on the morning of the competition.
On social network X, the IOA announced: “It is unfortunate that the Indian sports delegation has to share information about Vinesh Phogat being unable to participate in the women’s wrestling in the 50kg category. Despite the team’s efforts throughout the night, she was still a few grams overweight compared to the 50kg category standard this morning.”
“We will not make any further comments at this time. The Indian sports delegation hopes that everyone will respect Vinesh Phogat. We want to focus on the upcoming matches.”
According to a report by the Indian Express, Vinesh Phogat was about 100 grams over the 50 kg weight limit. On the evening before the competition, Phogat was reportedly weighed in and was 2 kg over the limit.
In preparation for the final, the female wrestler spent the entire night trying to reduce her weight to the standard. She did activities such as jogging, jumping rope and cycling, but these efforts were not enough for her to successfully lose weight in a short period of time.
Phogat was disappointed to learn of his disqualification from the 2024 Olympics on the morning of August 7. Photo: IANS
Earlier, when she defeated Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) in the semi-finals, Vinesh Phogat made history as the first Indian female wrestler to reach the finals of the Olympic wrestling. Phogat was originally scheduled to face Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) in the final on August 7.
Vinesh Phogat (left) in his shock win over Yui Susaki in the women’s freestyle wrestling round of 16 under-50kg at the 2024 Olympics, at the Champs-de-Mars arena in Paris, France on August 6. Photo: AP
As she did not qualify for the final, Vinesh Phogat will have to accept not being awarded any medals in this tournament. This is an unfortunate result for the female boxer who has spent a lot of time preparing for this important competition.
