Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from wrestling. Her decision has raised many questions. Especially why Vinesh couldn’t lose her weight till the end and who is responsible for this? The reasons for this episode are being sought. The country was expecting a gold medal from Vinesh, who reached the finals of women’s wrestling for the first time. But she was disqualified for being overweight before playing the final at the Paris Olympics. The comeback story of Vinesh, who had a disappointing performance in the Tokyo Olympics, ended in an anti-climax way. This happened as Vinesh assured herself of a silver medal by reaching the final round. But her dream was shattered when she recorded only 100 grams of excess weight. She did not even get a silver medal.
In fact, Vinesh already knew this. She had said in April this year that weight management will be a challenge for her in the next four months considering the 50 kg weight category. In April 2024, she said, I need to control my weight better. After many days I have reduced my weight to 50 kg. Vinesh, meanwhile, had said that she made the change in weight because she was happy that she was getting an opportunity to play in the Olympics. She also said she had a doubt if she would get a chance in the 50 kg category or 53 kg category. It was dependent on the test. After this, many questions are being raised as to why Vinesh was not sent for the 53 kg group?
Will Vinesh Phogat get a silver medal? What options do they have? According to the Olympics website, international rules disqualify a wrestler if he/she weighs more than the weight limit. Indian Olympic Association Chief Medical Officer Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala has stated that losing weight leads to energy loss. Then after weighing in, the athlete is given a limited amount of water and high energy food. Vinesh’s nutritionist felt that she had a normal intake of one and a half kilos of food. But sometimes weight increases after competition. Dr Dinshaw reasoned that Vinesh had played three matches in a row and had to be given water to prevent dehydration, which led to her gaining weight. According to her, the coach always did everything he could to lose weight, but this time he was not successful.
Vinesh, who created history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic finals, is unlikely to get a silver medal. Nenad Lalovich, head of United World Wrestling, said that rules have to be respected. “Every player knows the rules. I am sorry that this happened to Vinesh Phogat. It is not possible to give medals to those whose weight is not within the norm or to allow them to play. If a player weighs more than 100 grams today, and is allowed to play, but in the future, even if he weighs 200 grams more, he will have to be allowed to play. In such a situation, it will be unending,” Nenad said. Former Indian hockey team captain Viren Rasquinha has answered this question on social media platform ‘X’. He said that no player can do this. This happens only after the tournament doctor gives the certificate. If a player is not present for weigh-in, he will be disqualified.
The question is also being raised why Vinesh fought in the 50 kg weight group instead of the 53 kg weight group. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Vinesh competed in the 48 kg weight category. But she did not succeed. She then competed in the 53 kg weight category at the Tokyo Olympics. On the other hand, Antim Paghal won the bronze medal in the 2023 World Championships. This paved the way for India to play in the 53 kg weight category in the Paris Olympics. Thus, the last wrestler got the green light to compete in the 53 kg weight category in the Paris Olympics. Responding to this, Rasquinha said that almost all wrestlers in the world fight 3-4 kg below their weight. Vinesh was fighting in the 53 kg weight category for the last 5-6 years, but while recovering from her ‘ACL’ surgery on August 17, 2023, she eventually qualified for the Olympics in the 53 kg category.
Vinesh has now appealed against her disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and has demanded that she should be given a joint silver medal. According to PTI, a decision on this is awaited. On the other hand, after Vinesh was disqualified, American women wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt won the gold medal. Sarah Hildebrandt defeated Cuba’s Yusnelis Guzman Lopez in the final. Lopez was defeated by Vinesh in the semifinals. Vinesh was so discouraged by all this that she bid adieu to wrestling. She wrote on social media platform ‘X’, “Mom, wrestling won against me, I lost. Forgive me. Your dreams, my courage has all broken. I don’t have the strength anymore. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will be forever grateful to you all!” All this shows that the idea that sportsmen are the wealth of the country, is not deeply rooted in India.
