Vinesh Phogat disqualified from Olympics for being overweight
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after she could not make the weight on the morning of her 50 kg gold medal bout. "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 statement.
Why does this story matter?
On Tuesday, Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to make it to an Olympic final. She achieved this feat by defeating world number one and favorite, Yui Susaki of Japan. The win against Susaki came after two more strategically impressive victories against wrestlers from Ukraine and Cuba.
Respect Vinesh's privacy: IOA
"Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning," the statement read. "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 IOA added.
Phogat not eligible for silver medal
According to competition rules, Phogat will not be eligible for even a silver medal, leaving the 50kg category with only gold and bronze winners. Phogat had made the weight for Tuesday's bouts, but wrestlers must remain within their weight category on both days of the competition, as per the rules.
Phogat stayed up all night to meet requirement
This isn't the first time Phogat has struggled to meet the 50kg weight category—lower than her usual 53kg class. She encountered a similar challenge during the Olympic qualifiers. Reports indicate that Phogat stayed up all night—doing everything possible to meet the requirement—but it wasn't sufficient. The Indian delegation reportedly requested extra time for her to lose the final 100 grams, but to no avail.
