File photo of Bajrang Punia© AFP
Ace India wrestler Vinesh Phogat, on Thursday, announced her retirement from the sport. The decision came a day after Vinesh was disqualified from her gold medal bout at the Paris Olympic Games after her weight was found to exceed the 50kg mark by 100 grams. As a heartbroken Vinesh announced her decision to say goodbye to wrestling, fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia took to social media, saying she wasn't beaten, but made to face defeat. Bajrang's comments surfaced amid a big controversy over Vinesh's unnatural weight gain during the post-bouts weigh-in on Tuesday.
"Vinesh aap haari nahi, haraya gaya hai (you were not beaten but made to face defeat), for us you will always be a winner, you are not only the daughter of India but also the pride of India," Bajrang posted on X.
Bajrang's post comes after Vinesh wrote on social media: "Mother wrestling won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream, my courage is all broken, I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness"
- Bajrang Punia (@BajrangPunia) August 8, 2024
Her stunning decision comes a day after Vinesh appealed against her disqualification from the Olympic finals on Wednesday in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal.
the sport's international governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW) has made it clear on its part that the current weigh-in rule will not be changed as of now.
"On IOA's suggestion that a wrestler's results from the day on which the athlete met the weigh-in requirements should not be disqualified, the UWW President was sympathetic.
"UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it could not be done retrospectively," the world body said in a statement late on Wednesday after its President Nenad Lalovic met IOA chief P T Usha.
Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category on Tuesday night.
She was assured of at least a silver medal before the disqualification.
Vinesh is a three-time Olympian and has won gold medals in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
For the past one year, she had also been the face of fierce protests against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by women grapplers.
Vinesh, who has always competed in the 53kg category, was forced to come down to 50kg just months before the Games after the Paris quota place in that division was locked by Antim Panghal.
With PTI Inputs