Guwahati : Ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who had the biggest opportunity of winning a gold medal for India, has now been disqualified from the women’s 50kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics.
In a cruel twist of fate, Phogat was found ineligible to compete as she was found 150 gram overweight during the weigh-in on the day of the final.
If the disqualification stays, the 29-year-old wrestling champion will not win any medal at the Paris Olympics and has to unfortunately return home without bronze, silver or gold.
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According to the world wrestling body, any wrestler who misses the weight is given the last place.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), in an official statement, also confirmed the disqualification.
It also requested all her fans to ensure her privacy.
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“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class,” the Indian Olympic Association said in a statment.
“Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning,” it added
“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,” it added.
Phogat made history by defeating Yusneylis Lopez to become the first female Indian wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.
With her stupendous performance, Phogat had assured India of its fourth Olympic 2024 medal by beating the wrestler of Cuba in the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling semifinal.
However, Phogat will unfortunately have to lose a great opportunity to secure her maiden Olympic medal owing to the disqualification.
Netizens came down heavily on the support staff of the Olympics after this shocking news with many hitting out at them for their irresponsibility and unprofessionalism.
They also expressed disbelief and shock and also questioned what went wrong at the last moment for Phogat when she was all ahead on her way to Olympic glory.