Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from her Paris Olympics gold medal bout?

The athlete was eliminated before final after failing to make 50kg limit by around 100g

India's Vinesh Phogat, right, on her way to victory against Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba in their Olympic 50kg wrestling semi-final on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, in Paris. Getty Images

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There was heartbreak for Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Wednesday as she was disqualified from her Olympic 50kg final for being overweight.

Phogat, a three-time Commonwealth Games champion, had been due to fight Sarah Hildebrant of the US in the gold medal bout later in the day.

The disqualification means she is not eligible for any kind of medal at the Paris Games.

Phogat was reportedly taken to hospital suffering from the effects of her failed efforts to make the weight limit.

In her opening match on Tuesday, the Indian had stunned four-time world and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan with a late takedown to claim a 3-2 decision.

She then won her quarter-final against Ukraine's Oksana Livach 7-5 and beat Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-final to become the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic final.

But on the morning of the showpiece, the news came that she had been disqualified for being around 100g over the 50kg limit.

After her bouts on Tuesday, she had been about 1kg over the limit when weighed by her team and had reportedly made a desperate bid to shed the extra weight. But at the official weigh-in on Wednesday morning, she just failed to make the 50kg mark.

The Indian Olympic Association confirmed her disqualification at 8.30am Paris time. It said in a statement: “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification on Vinesh Phogat from the Women's Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts of the team through the night, she weighed a few grams over the 50kg this morning.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced his support for Phogat on Twitter, posting: “Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for every Indian. Today's setback hurts. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you.”

Why was Phogat disqualified?

At Paris 2024, each weight category in the wrestling tournament is organised over two competition days. The medical control and weigh-in for each category is conducted on the morning of the first day, with a second weigh-in taking place on the morning of the second day.

According to Article 11 of the United World Wrestling's rule book, any athlete who fails to make the weight at either of those weigh-ins will be immediately eliminated from the competition.

After her team found Phogat to be around 1kg overweight on Tuesday, she is said to have skipped her meal, cut her hair and done extra training sessions.

According to the India women's chief wrestling coach Virender Dahiya: “Last night, her weight was up by 1kg. We and her personal support staff worked to cut it down. Unfortunately, it was still slightly above the limit.”

In the build-up to the Games, Phogat, who usually competes in the 53kg division, had already dropped 3kg in order to switch to the 50kg category to ensure her qualification for Paris.

According to reports, she had gone to great lengths to make 50kg weight, including intense sauna sessions.

In April, Phogat said: “I will have to manage my weight a lot better. I have brought myself down to 50kg after so long, so I will try and maintain this as much as I can. It’s not easy for me not to put on weight because my muscle mass is very high.”

India's Vinesh Phogat after her shock first-round victory over Yui Susaki of Japan. Getty Images

Why is Vinesh Phogat so well-known in India?

Aside from securing three Commonwealth wrestling titles, Phogat won many new supporters in India after she became a leading figure in street protests last year after allegations of sexual abuse were raised against the Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan.

She took to the streets with fellow Olympians Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, only to be manhandled by police while protesting close to the Indian parliament.

The protests won Phogat new legions of fans.

Who will now fight for the gold medal?

Cuba's Guzman will now fight American Hildebrandt, who defeated Mongolia’s Otgonjargal Dolgorjav 5-0 in the other semi-final, in the gold medal match.

Meanwhile, Japan's Susaki and Livach of Ukraine, both of whom were beaten by Phogat, will now battle it out for bronze.