In a devastating turn of events at the Paris Olympics, India’s Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling final. The historic moment, marking Vinesh as the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic wrestling final, ended in heartbreak when she was found to be 100 grams over the weight limit of 50kg.
Vinesh, who normally competes in the 53kg category, undertook extreme measures to meet the 50kg limit for the Paris Games. She resorted to cutting her hair and even drawing blood in an effort to shed weight, while also engaging in intense cycling exercises to induce sweating. Despite these efforts, she was unable to shed the final 100 grams required.
Sources revealed that Vinesh’s weight was 1kg over the limit the night before the weigh-in, but she managed to reduce it by 900 grams by the next morning. Unfortunately, the last 100 grams proved impossible to lose in time.
Ravi Dahiya, a fellow wrestler and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, explained that athletes are given a strict deadline to meet weight requirements. Once the deadline passes, no further adjustments can be made.
Prior to the Games, Vinesh had spoken about her rigorous preparations, including sauna sessions and a planned hair cut by her coach. Ultimately, Vinesh took the drastic step of cutting her own hair in a final attempt to meet the weight requirement.
The disqualification has shocked and disappointed millions of Indian fans who were eagerly hoping for a gold medal in wrestling.
