India’s wrestling hopeful, Vinesh Phogat, was disqualified before her 50 kg championship bout for being 100 grams overweight. The IOA expressed regret, stating the Indian team’s efforts to meet the weight limit failed. Phogat’s disqualification leaves only the gold and bronze medals to be contested
Vinesh Phogat, who was on the brink of creating history by becoming the first Indian woman athlete to clinch a gold medal in wrestling, was sadly disqualified before her 50 kg championship bout.
The IOA expressed, “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class,”.
Main issue
- Phogat was found to be slightly overweight, exceeding the permitted weight limit by a mere 100 grams. As a result of this, she was disqualified from the competition.
- This disqualification meant that Phogat was ineligible for the silver medal, leaving only the gold and bronze medals to be contested in the 50 kg weight category.
- The IOA stated, “Despite the team’s efforts through the night, she was a few grams over 50 kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests respect for Vinesh’s privacy and will focus on the ongoing competitions,”.
- Vinesh Phogat initially qualified for Tuesday’s matches by meeting the weight requirements.
- However, as per the rules, the wrestlers must maintain their weight category throughout the competition.
- Reports indicated she was two kilograms over the weight limit on Tuesday night. Exhaustive efforts, including jogging, skipping, and cycling, were unsuccessful in shedding the final one hundred grams.
Rules of weigh-in
- International wrestling rules mandate that any grappler who is overweight at the official weigh-in will be placed last in the final rankings.
- The Paris organizing committee declared: “According to the Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the Semifinal.”
- Due to Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez will compete in the championship match.
- Under United World Wrestling guidelines, wrestlers have unrestricted opportunities to check their weight during the weigh-in timeframe.
- As per the rules, athletes who miss or fail to meet weight requirements at either the first or second weigh-in will be disqualified and placed last without a ranking.
Olympic wrestling weigh-in procedure
- Wrestlers must weigh in on the morning of their competition day. Since each weight class tournament spans two days, athletes advancing to the finals or repechage rounds must meet the weight requirement on both days.
- Wrestlers are given a half-hour time frame for their initial weigh-in, during which they can step on the scale multiple times. They must be weighed while wearing only their singlet.
- Additionally, athletes undergo a brief medical check to verify good health and ensure their fingernails are trimmed. For those competing on the second day, the weigh-in process is shortened to a quarter of an hour.
Public reaction
- India’s national women’s coach, Virender Dahiya, sounded distraught: “Everyone here is feeling as if someone in the family has died. We don’t know what has struck us. Everyone is shocked,”.
- Olympic gold medalist wrestler Jordan Burroughs shared his thoughts on the matter via Twitter. “Maybe stories like this will wake up the IOC. Wrestling needs MORE than six weight classes! After three tough matches against world class opponents, no athlete should have to spend the night preparing for a Gold medal in this manner. Absolute desperation from the Indian team trying to get the last bit of weight off of Vinesh to qualify for today’s final.”
- As per Sakshi Malik, the former Olympic bronze medalist, “It’s very easy for us to wrestle in matches compared to cutting weight. For us, cutting weight is like winning a medal, our first struggle,”.
The weight cut ordeal has sparked a wider debate about the challenges faced by wrestlers, especially in lower weight categories. The incident has prompted calls to review weight classification rules in wrestling.
The disqualification of Vinesh Phogat has not only shattered the dreams of a nation but has also ignited a conversation about the physical and mental toll weight-cutting takes on athletes.
