Why Vinesh Phogat was disqualified ahead of her gold-medal match at Paris Olympics 2024?

New Delhi: Vinesh Phogat stood one win away from becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics but it wasn’t meant to be. In a massive heartbreak for the 29-year-old wrestler and Indian fans across the globe, Vinesh was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 due to being slightly overweight ahead of her gold medal match in the women’s 50kg freestyle category.

Vinesh scripted history by becoming the first female wrestler from the country to reach an Olympic final after recording three back-to-back stunning victories on Tuesday. She defeated the ‘undefeated’ Yui Susaki of Japan in the pre-quarters before beating Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarter-final and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final to storm into the final.

Vinesh was set to lock horns with USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the final looking to become the first woman to win an Olympic gold. However, she was disqualified after failing her final weigh-in on Wednesday morning ahead of her gold medal bout. In a statement, the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) said, Vinesh was a few grams above 50kg which led to her disqualification.

The disqualification means Vinesh will not be able to take part in the gold medal match and will have to return home without a medal. Her final opponent Hildebrandt will be awarded the gold medal without competing while Vinesh will have to return empty-handed despite enjoying a stellar campaign in Paris.

What is Vinesh Phogat’s weight category and why she was disqualified?

Vinesh Phogat was competing in the 50kg freestyle category at the Paris Olympics 2024. She traditionally competed in the 53kg category but switched to the 50kg category for the Paris Games. The 50kg category is one of the lightest weight categories in wrestling at the Olympics.

Vinesh couldn’t make weight on the morning of her final on Wednesday. She weighed around 150 grams above the permissible limit during the final weigh-in. As per Indian Express, Vinesh was around 2kg overweight after completing all her matches on Tuesday night. She underwent rigorous training, including cycling, skipping and jogging to reduce her weight till morning.

She nearly achieved her desirable weight category but couldn’t make weight on Wednesday morning, missing out by a whisker. The Indian delegation reportedly tried extreme measures, including deliberating cutting her hair and drawing out blood but nothing worked. The delegation also sought for some more time for her to get under the permissible weight.

However, their request for extra time was turned down and Vinesh was deemed ineligible to fight in the gold medal match against Hildebrandt.

What do the wrestling weight rules state?

As per United World Wrestling, the world governing body of wrestling, if an athlete does not attend or fails his/her weigh-in ahead of their match,  they will be eliminated from the competition without any ranking. The athlete will be placed last in their category and will not be awarded any medal in the event.

“If an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in, he or she will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last without a ranking,” states UWW’s weight rule.

Despite beating the best in the world and standing on the edge of a top finish on the podium, Vinesh will now return home without a medal in what can easily be termed a cruel end to a sensational campaign.

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 In a massive heartbreak for India, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 due to being overweigt ahead of her gold medal match in the women’s 50kg freestyle category. Vinesh will now return home without a medal with her final opponent Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the USA will be awarded the gold medal without competing in the final.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today