Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday from the Paris Olympics for being slightly overweight. She became the first Indian female wrestler to enter an Olympics final match. She was supposed to take on the United States' Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the gold medal in the 50 kg category but was found to be around 150 gm over the limit.
This was Vinesh's third Olympic Games and she was determined to win a medal following heartbreaks in Rio 2016 in Tokyo 2020.
In 2016, Phogat competed in the Olympics but crashed out after the quarter finals due to an injury. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, she participated again but could only rise till the quarter-finals.
In January 2023, Phogat along with other notable wrestlers such as Sakshee Malikkh and Bajrang Punia protested against the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Singh. Singh was accused of sexually harassing female athletes.
The wrestlers protested at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to demand for accountability and seek justice.
In May 2023, Vinesh Phogat along with several others were detained by the police when they tried to march towards the new Parliament building on its inauguration day.
The disqualification of Phogat despite becoming the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final came as a shock to the entire country. She reportedly exercised for hours and even cut off her hair to shed the 2 extra kilos she had put on post her semifinal bouts but was still overweight by a mere 150 gm.
Phogat has appealed the IOC decision and the verdict is likely to come today.