India’s ace grappler Vinesh Phogat, who stood on the cusp of ultimate glory in the Paris Olympic Games  2024, has now been disqualified from the competition entirely. Vinesh, who was competing in the 50kg freestyle wrestling category, is out of the competition, having been weighed over the limit for her event. Vinesh usually competes in the 53kg category but brought her weight down to 50kg for the Paris Olympics. On Day 2 of her weigh-in, however, Vinesh was found weighing over the desired limit, though by a small margin of about 100 grams. An appeal has already been filed by the Indian Olympic Association on the matter.

Vinesh reportedly tried to do all she could to come under the desired weight, be it skipping meals, or running. She didn’t sleep the entire night, hoping to fall under the weight category. The Indian officials also asked the Olympic committee for more time but the efforts went in vain. 

Earlier, Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a wrestling event in Olympic Games. But, fate had something else in store for her. The Indian coach revealed that Vinesh was found overweight by just 100gm on Wednesday morning. Though the margin was small, the rules do not allow for an exception to be made. 

“She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach.

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…

— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) August 7, 2024

As a result of Vinesh’s disqualification, she will not win any medal in the Paris Games. Though Vinesh was assured of a silver, her disqualification means that she would need to return home empty-handed. 

Vinesh’s first bout in the Paris Games was arguably the toughest one. She was pitted against Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki who had never lost a bout in her international career and also a four-time world Olympic champion. But then, Vinesh happened. 

It was Vinesh’s struggles off the field that helped her draw power and use a perfect game plan, stunned the reigning Olympic champion in one of the biggest upsets the Games have ever seen.

Vinesh next defeated Oksana Livach of Ukraine to secure a berth in the semi-finals of the women’s 50kg freestyle event. Tears of joy came down rolling her cheeks but the job wasn’t done yet. 

In the semifinals, Vinesh outmuscled Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez to confirm a medal and become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.

But, on Tuesday morning, the dreams of Vinesh and those of 1.4 billion Indians, shattered.

A piece of heartbreaking news emerged from the Paris Olympic Games as India’s Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50kg women’s freestyle wrestling final. Over a billion people were gunning for Vinesh as she accomplished an unprecedented feat by becoming the first woman from the country to qualify for a wrestling final in the Olympic Games. But, just as prayers had started across the country ahead of Vinesh’s gold medal bout, the entire sporting fraternity received a massive shock as Vinesh was disqualified for roughly weighing 100 grams over the limit of 50kg, though on Tuesday night she was 1kg overweight.

Vinesh usually competes in the 53kg category but Vinesh decided to switch her weight category for the Paris Olympic Games, deciding to compete in the 50kg category. To make sure she falls within the weight limit, although the 50kg category didn’t align with her natural weight, Vinesh took some extreme steps.

As per a report, Vinesh not only cut her hair to fall under the weight category of 50kg but also tried to draw some blood out of her veins, hoping to meet the criteria. Yet, the efforts didn’t fetch her the results she wanted. She also reportedly did cycling exercises to induce sweat but it didn’t help much.

Vinesh had to take such extreme measures after her weight went up by 1kg on Tuesday night, sources told NDTV. She did manage to bring down the weight by 900 gms but the last 100gm could not be cut off.

Ravi Dahiya, another Indian wrestler who knows the intricate details of the sport, spoke to NDTV on the matter and revealed that athletes are usually given a set time by which they have to submit their weight. 

For instance, if a player is weighed in at 8:05 PM and is found to be overweight, the authority gives time till the deadline (8:30 PM for instance) to reduce the weight. However, there’s no scope of improvement if the weight remains over the limit at 8:31 PM.

Dahiya revealed that athletes go through intense sessions to maintain their weight in such cases. The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist revealed that Vinesh went straight to training after finishing her bouts on Tuesday, didn’t have meal, and started Wednesday morning with training. 

Before arriving at the Paris Olympics, Vinesh herself had revealed that she went through rigorous efforts to compete in the 50kg category, including intense sauna sessions. Her coach even revealed that her coach wanted to cut her hair even before the Olympics to help reduce maybe 50 grams. But, he didn’t do that.

But, at the Paris Olympics, however, it has been reported that Vinesh herself had to cut her hair, hoping to fall under the desired category.