BUREAU:
Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics after failing to
meet the weight requirement for her 50 kg gold medal bout. The disqualification
has shocked the Indian community as the nation loses its first chance to win
Gold at the Paris Olympic 2024.
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of
the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class.
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,” an Indian Olympic
Association statement read.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified for being 100 gm overweight. She had reached the semifinals of the
women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling event by beating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5
on Tuesday. This marked Vinesh’s maiden Olympic semifinal. She was scheduled to
face Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman, the gold medalist at the Pan American Games 2023,
for a place in the final.
Earlier, Vinesh stunned Japan’s defending Olympic champion
Yui Susaki by 3-2 to qualify for the quarterfinals. Susaki, the reigning
Olympic champion and four-time World Champion, had won gold at the Tokyo Games
without conceding a single point.
