India's Vinesh Phogat out of Olympics after failing weigh-in
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified from the 50kg freestyle event
- Published
India's top female wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been disqualified after failing the weigh-in ahead of the final match at the Olympic Games.
The 29-year-old was scheduled to face the US's Sarah Hildebrandt in the 50kg freestyle category on Wednesday - which would have guaranteed her at least a silver medal.
But Phogat weighed in a few grams above the 50kg limit on the morning of the contest, the Indian Olympic Association said.
Her disqualification means she will not win any medal and will be ranked last in the competition.
The announcement has sparked heartbreak in India, where there has been an outpouring of disappointment.
This was Phogat's third appearance at the Olympics, and the closest she had ever been to winning a medal. On Tuesday, she became the first Indian female wrestler to make it to the final, after she defeated Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman 5-0.
Her performance also included one of the biggest upsets at the Games so far, after she beat reigning world champion Yui Susaki from Japan to progress to the quarter-finals.
Reports say the wrestler was above the weight limit by 2kg on Tuesday night, following which she tried everything to shed the pounds - from cycling and jogging to skipping.
But "despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning", the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement.
Drastic weight loss before a bout is not uncommon as wrestlers go through an extreme process to meet the category limit, sometimes with just hours to go.
But this can be dangerous as it involves losing large amounts of fluids very quickly. The practice also occurs in other combat sports like boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
In the previous two Olympics, Phogat had competed in the 53kg category. This was her first outing in the 50kg category and the wrestler reportedly struggled to meet the weight requirement during her Olympic qualifiers as well.
"The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh鈥檚 privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand," the association said, refusing to comment further.
Last year, Phogat had become the face of a months-long protest by wrestlers against their federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh who was accused of sexually harassing female athletes - a charge he denies.
The row made headlines globally, especially after the police detained Phogat and other wrestlers when they tried to march to India's new parliament building.
After Wednesday's announcement, support poured in for the wrestler as fans said she was still a hero to them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her a "champion of champions" and said she was an inspiration for all Indians.
"Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you," he said.