Indian wrestling got a severe blow as Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from Paris Olympics after she was found overweight on the morning of her 50 kg gold medal bout.
As per media reports, Vinesh were approximately 2 kg overweight on Tuesday night. She didn’t sleep the whole night and engaged in various activities such as jogging, skipping, and cycling in a desperate attempt to meet the requirements.
However, Vinesh was unable to shed the excess weight. Sources said that the Indian delegation made earnest appeals for an extension, hoping to provide her with a final opportunity to lose the remaining ‘extra few grams’ above 50kg. However, their requests were eventually denied by the authorities.
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class,” the IOA said in a statement. “Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. 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.”