Vinesh Phogat recently made history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a wrestling event at the Olympics. However, her journey took a heartbreaking turn when she was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being slightly over the weight limit for her event.
The Indian coach revealed that Vinesh was overweight by just 100 grams, a small margin that, unfortunately, still led to her disqualification as the rules are strict and allow no exceptions.
Although Vinesh typically competes in the 53 kg category, she had reduced her weight to 50 kg specifically for the Paris Olympics. Despite this setback, her achievement of reaching the final remains a significant milestone in Indian sports history.
Anand Mahindra reacts after Vinesh Phogat Disqualified From Olympics
Industrialist Anand Mahindra expressed his disbelief and disappointment at the news, hoping it was just a “bad dream.” On social media, he posted, “NO! NO! NO! Please make this a bad dream that I will wake up from and find it isn’t true.”
Vinesh Phogat is an accomplished Indian wrestler known for her remarkable achievements in both national and international wrestling arenas. She hails from the famous Phogat family, which has produced several successful female wrestlers.
For the unversed, she won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta in the women’s 50 kg freestyle category, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to achieve this feat. Besides that, she has won gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, first in the 48 kg category in Glasgow 2014 and then in the 50 kg category in Gold Coast 2018.
Vinesh has also earned medals at the World Wrestling Championships, further establishing her as one of India’s leading wrestlers. Vinesh made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury sustained during the quarterfinals.
This injury was a significant setback, but she made a strong comeback. She qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 53 kg category, where she was one of India’s top medal hopes. However, she faced a disappointing exit in the quarterfinals.