Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from Paris Olympics© AFP
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.
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.
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.
Vijay 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.