Vinesh Phogat gets disqualified from Paris Olympics 2024; misses assured medal

Vinesh Phogat became the first female Indian wrestler to reach the final of the Olympics yesterday.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 after she failed to weigh under 50kgs earlier this morning in the French capital.

The Indian Olympic Association released a statement earlier this morning on Vinesh Phogat’s behalf. The statement read, “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the women’s wrestling 50kg class.”

It further read, “Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand.”

Vinesh, who took down the defending Olympic champion and top seed Yui Susaki of Japan in the first round, was enjoying a stellar campaign in the French capital. She also defeated eighth seed Oksana Livach of Ukraine 7-5 in the quarter-finals and Pan-American champion Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba 5-0 in the semi-finals.

As per the UWW rules, Vinesh Phogat will be placed last in the competition because she has been officially disqualified. She also won’t play in the gold medal match, where she was set to face America’s Sarah Hildebrandt, who took down Mongolia’s Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal 5-0 in the semi-finals.

It’s was also revealed that during the weigh-in, she was only 100 grams overweight. To overcome the deficit, the Indian delegation pleaded for some more time to give Vinesh a chance to shed the remaining weight. However, they were denied any chance.

During the Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers, the Indian wrestler faced a similar problem as she found it difficult to make the cut in her weight. However, she somehow managed to do so by skipping meals and vigorous exercise.

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