Year-Ender: Vinesh Phogat's medal saga headlined India's Paris Olympics campaign
The Indian contingent, which comprised 117 athletes, recorded six medals, including five bronze and one silver in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the nation's campaign in the prestigious tournament was also maligned with controversy. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women's 50kg final, having failed the weigh-in by 100gm. Despite being the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, she was disqualified before competing. Let's revisit the entire saga.
Phogat's journey to the final and disqualification
Phogat had booked her final berth by beating top seed Yui Susaki, two-time European Games medalist Oksana Livach, and Pan-American Games champion Yusneylys Guzman Lopez. However, she had to lose around 2kg before the next morning. Despite taking drastic measures, including cutting her hair, Phogat failed the weigh-in by 100gm on August 7, resulting in her disqualification from the competition.
Phogat's appeal and unexpected retirement
After her disqualification, Phogat approached the CAS on August 7 in hopes of a joint-silver medal. The CAS admitted her appeal and referred it to Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, sitting as a Sole Arbitrator. A hearing with all parties was conducted that day. In an unexpected turn of events, Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling through a social media post on August 8. The announcement came even before the verdict.
Delay in verdict and defense argument
The hearing into Phogat's appeal ended at the CAS' ad-hoc division on August 9. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), represented by Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania, had hoped for a positive outcome. Initially, the IOA had said that the verdict would be pronounced on August 11, but later amended the statement. The final verdict was postponed to August 13, however, it was further postponed by three days to August 16 by the CAS' ad-hoc division.
The final verdict
Notably, Phogat's lawyers had argued that her weight gain was due to her body's natural recovery process and not fraud. However, their efforts went in vain. The final verdict signed by Sole Arbitrator Annabelle Bennett stated: 'The application filed by Vinesh Phogat on 7 August 2024 is dismissed." Meanwhile, this fiasco meant Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman Lopez, who lost to Phogat in the semi-final, fought against USA's Sarah Hilderbrandt in the gold medal bout.
