India’s Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50kg freestyle wrestling event at the Olympics due to being overweight by a few grams. Phogat had qualified for the gold medal bout after beating Yui Susaki of Japan and Oksana Livach in the quarter-finals. She later beat Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the penultimate bout to secure the medal and become the first Indian woman to reach the final.
In a unfortunate event for India at Olympics, wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday from the 50kg freestyle wrestling for being overweight by a few grams, after she qualified for 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. 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 Olympic Association (IOA) said ahead of Phogat’s gold medal match scheduled for tonight.
“The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on n the competitions on hand,” the Indian governing body further said.
A PTI report which quoted an Indian coach said that Phogat was found overweight by 100gm this morning.
This situation is not new for Phogat, who usually competes in the 53 kg category. She faced a similar challenge during the Olympic qualifiers, narrowly making the cut.
As per reports, Phogat spent the last night jogging and skipping to shed the last extra grams but failed to do so.
India has so far three bronze medals in its kitty and Phogat’s assured medal was a hope for a silver or gold.
