Fact Check: Would Vinesh Phogat have clinched a medal if she had withdrawn from Olympics citing injury?

Vinesh Phogat failed to weigh under 50kgs at the 2024 Paris Olympics on the day of the gold medal match.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was eliminated from the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier today after she failed to weigh under 50kgs.

Vinesh Phogat, who was in astounding form in the French capital, will be placed last in the competition because she has been officially disqualified, as per the UWW rules. She was supposed to face America’s Sarah Hildebrandt in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After the disqualification, sports enthusiasts have come across a tricky question. Would Vinesh Phogat have secured a podium finish if she was declared injured or unfit ahead of the gold medal match?

The upright answer to the question is no. As per the United World Wrestling (UWW), if a grappler gets injured during a bout, he/she loses the match. Additionally, the injured grappler won’t attend the second weigh-in after the bout and will be awarded the prize according to the points he/she earned before the injury.

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However, if an athlete gets injured outside a match, they will be required to attend the second weigh-in. If he/she fails to attend the weigh-in, the athlete gets eliminated from the competition without any points or rank. Moreover, the approval of a UWW doctor also plays a major role in the whole scenario.

The rule book reads, “If an athlete is injured and can’t continue the bout, he will lose the match by injury. The concerned athlete won’t have to attend the second weigh-in and he will be ranked based on the points that he earned until his injury. If the injured athlete is ready to compete in his next match, he has to receive the approval of the UWW Doctor.”

It further says, “For all the other type of injuries or diseases that happen after the first day of competition and out of competition, the concerned athlete will have to attend the second weigh-in otherwise he will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank.”

Meanwhile, Antim Panghal, who was representing India in the women’s 53kg freestyle category, crashed out in the Round of 16 after a 10-0 loss to Zeynep Yetgil of Turkey.

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