Wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Credit: Reuters Photo
In a tragic turn of events for India's quest for gold at the ongoing Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the women's freestyle 50 kg wrestling event after being found overweight. She was scheduled to wrestle in the gold medal match against USA's Sarah Hildebrandt later today.
Indian Olympics Association, in a statement, said Phogat failed to meet the weight criteria for the 50 kg category, reportedly by just 100 grams. Her weight was therefore found to be overweight for competition. This comes just a day after her semifinal bout where she secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman.
What happens now?
As a consequence of Phogat's disqualification, she will not be eligible for any medal. According to the rules of the Olympics, she will now be placed at the last position in the women's 50 kg freestyle wrestling category.
She was 2 kilograms overweight on Tuesday night, according to sources. She tried running, skipping, and cycling through the night, but she was unable to lose the final 100 grams.
Phogat, who was a regular in the 53 kg category in the past, has faced similar situations in the past. Even during the Paris Olympic qualifiers, she was challenged with the task of reducing her weight within a very short span of time in order to make the cut. Unlike this time, she had successfully managed to do so earlier.