India’s Olympic hopes took a significant blow when one of their top athletes, female wrestler Vinesh Phogat, was disqualified just hours before her gold medal match. The disqualification came after Phogat exceeded the 50kg weight limit by a mere 100 grams—equivalent to the weight of a medium-sized banana—despite her strenuous efforts that included cutting off her hair to make weight.
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed his profound “despair” over this unprecedented turn of events involving the athlete affectionately known as the Lioness of India.
Phogat was slated to compete against Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States in the gold medal match scheduled for Thursday evening. On Tuesday, Phogat had successfully met the weight requirement before her three fights. However, as per competition regulations, she needed to undergo a weigh-in again on Wednesday morning. Despite her efforts, which included running and skipping throughout the night to shed the extra weight, she fell short by just 100 grams.
Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, India’s chief medical officer, elaborated on the weight-cutting process for wrestlers: “Wrestlers typically compete in a weight category below their natural weight to gain an edge over less physically dominant opponents. This process involves precise management of food and water intake, coupled with intense exercise and sauna sessions, up until the morning weigh-in.”
Earlier in the competition, Phogat had made headlines by defeating top seed Yui Susaki in the opening round.
