Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics 50 kg wrestling event, for being overweight. While it’s clear that she won’t return home with a medal, there is a lot of uncertainty over, what happened and what went wrong. InsideSport tries to decode that.
What Went Wrong for Vinesh at Paris Olympics?
Despite beating all her opponents on Tuesday, including Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, Yui Susaki, and reaching the final of the women’s 50 kg event, Vinesh Phogat won’t be able to participate in the final. That is because, as per the IOA, during the weigh-in, she was found to be a few grams overweight. The rules of UWW clearly state that a wrestler cannot be overweight in the competition, and will be straightaway disqualified.
There is no chance for the Indian contingent to appeal against the disqualification. Once out, Vinesh will end the competition in the last position.
The Grey Area
It is still not clear, as to by how much was Vinesh overweight. What if baffling is, why didn’t the coaches, nutritionists work in this area prior to the Olympic Games? The wrestler has a dedicated team just for this, and it is big miss, considering, she won’t return home with a medal for sure.
Surprisingly, none from her team tried to declare her ill or unfit for the match, that could have avoided this entire situation. She was made to work extra hours, and despite that, she couldn’t shed the necessary weight. To add to that, what’s unclear is, whether Vinesh has landed in hospital due to excessive loss of water and fluids.
There are contrasting reports suggesting the opposite. While some reports claim that she has been hospitalised, there are others that suggest, she is in the Olympic village and is speaking with her family.
