Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 7: In a heartbreak incident for the entire nation and personally for Vinesh Phogat, the ace wrestler, the first Indian woman to reach the finals of an Olympic wrestling event, will return without a medal after she was disqualified for overweight in her 50 Kgs category by a mere 100 grams just when she was on the cusp of ultimate glory in the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appealed against her disqualification but with very little hope of any reversal.
Vinesh, who was eying for gold and was assured of at least a silver after she reached the finals by defeating World and Olympic 50kg champion Yui Susaki on Tuesday night, was eliminated for being overweight ahead of her final bout against USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt on Wednesday. “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,” the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement.
Vinesh was found to be overweight by exactly 100gm during the weigh-in this morning, Indian women’s chief coach Virender Dahiya said. “The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Sanjay Singh and the IOA officials are in touch with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW) over the issue,” Dahiya said, adding that the weight of Antim Panghal, who would compete in 53kg on Wednesday, was within the limits.
“Last night [Vinesh’s] her weight was up by one kg. We and her personal support staff worked to cut it down. Unfortunately, it was slightly above the limit,” Dahiya said. Desperate to lose the extra weight, she went through a gruelling night of cycling and other exercise and managed to lose 900 grams, say sources. She didn’t sleep the entire night, hoping to correct her body weight before the competition.
After she was weighted over the limit, Indian officials asked the Olympics committee for more time but there was “very little elbow room for negotiation”, said sources. Meanwhile, WFI president informed that Vinesh has been hospitalised due to dehydration.
According to UWW’s Article-11 on weigh-in, “For all competitions, the weigh-in is organized each morning of the concerned weight-category. The weigh-in and the medical control last 30 minutes.
“The second morning of the concerned weight category only the wrestlers who participate in the repechages and finals have to come for the weigh-in. This weigh-in will last 15 minutes. “The only uniform allowed for the weigh-in is the singlet…No weight tolerance will be allowed for the singlet.
“Throughout the entire weigh-in period, wrestlers have the right, each in turn, to get on the scale as many times as they wish. If an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he/she will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank.” There can be exceptions on medical grounds, though.
Vinesh, a two-time World championships bronze medallist in 53kg, had to drop down to 50kg after Antim secured the 53kg quota place by winning the World championships bronze last year. As the WFI was suspended and the ad-hoc body was running the show, there was confusion over whether she would get a chance to challenge Antim for the Paris spot when an elected body of the WFI assumed charge. This made Vinesh to compete in the 50kg selection trials for the Olympic qualifiers and eventually she won the quota place.
However, dropping down to 50kg was always a big challenge for her as she needed to cut down nearly seven to eight kg of her body weight to fit into the minimum weight category in the Olympics.
“I will have to manage my weight a lot better. I have brought myself down to 50kg after so long so I will try and maintain this as much as I can. It’s not easy for me not to put on weight because my muscle mass is very high,” Vinesh had said in April after winning the 50kg quota for India. Now, with the never-before incident of Vinesh getting disqualified has denied India a medal.
Vinesh’s first bout in the Paris Games was arguably the toughest one. She was pitted against Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki who had never lost a bout in her international career and also a four-time world Olympic champion. But then, Vinesh happened.
It was Vinesh’s struggles off the field that helped her draw power and use a perfect game plan. She stunned the reigning Olympic champion in one of the biggest upsets the Games have ever seen. Vinesh next defeated Oksana Livach of Ukraine to secure a berth in the semi-finals of the women’s 50 kg freestyle event. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks but the job wasn’t done yet. In the semi-finals, Vinesh outmuscled Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez to confirm a medal and become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.
But Wednesday morning brought heartbreak for Vinesh Phogat and a billion Indians.