Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from women's 50kg wrestling final© X (Twitter)
Shortly after India received a huge setback at the Paris Olympics with the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the 50 Kg women's wrestling final, the grappler was consoled by Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra. Vinesh was scheduled to take on United States' Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the Gold Medal match. A statement issued by the Indian Olympic contingent said that Phogat had tipped the scales above the 50 kg mark and was disqualified. In a post on X, Bindra wrote, "Completely gutted. Sometimes you don't need a gold medal to be a true champion to people...."
Completely gutted . Sometimes u dont need a gold medal to be a true champion to people….
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 7, 2024
Earlier, PM Modi consoled Vinesh after she was disqualified from the competition for breaching the 50 kg weight mark. "Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. 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," the PM posted on X
As per sources, the Prime Minister spoke to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha and sought firsthand information from PT Usha on the issue and the options India has in the wake of Vinesh's setback. The Prime Minister asked the IOA President to explore the full range of options to help Vinesh's case.
He also urged PT Usha to file a strong protest regarding her disqualification if that helps Vinesh, the sources said.
"It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women's Wrestling 50 kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50 kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh's privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand," the statement read.
Vinesh Phogat had entered the Gold Medal bout after beating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)