Vinesh Vinesh of India celebrates her victory over Yusneylys Guzman of Cuba during the semi-final of the women’s 50kg wrestling event at the Champ-de-Mars Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, set to be held in Paris on August 6, 2024.
11:06 JST, August 9, 2024
PARIS (AP) — Vinesh Phogat, the Indian women’s wrestler who qualified for the Olympic finals in the under-50-kilogram class only to be disqualified for falling just short of the required weight, announced her retirement on social media on Thursday.
In a message translated from Hindi, Phogat said: “My courage is broken, I have no strength left now. Goodbye wrestling, 2001-2024.”
India’s Vinesh Vinesh (left) celebrates her victory over Japan’s Yui Susaki in the round of 16 of the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling competition at the Champ-de-Mars Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, August 6, 2024 in Paris.
Phogat defeated four-time world and reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan on Tuesday. She then won her quarterfinal against Oksana Livach of Ukraine 7-5 and her semifinal against Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba 5-0 to seemingly secure a spot in Wednesday night’s championship match.
United World Wrestling, the sports governing body, disqualified Phogat on Wednesday morning. Team India said she was 100 grams — about a fifth of a pound — over the weight limit. Instead of becoming the first Indian woman to compete in an Olympic final, she went home empty-handed.
Guzman Lopez replaced Phogat in the final and American Sarah Hildebrandt defeated Guzman Lopez 3-0 to win the gold medal.
United World Wrestling’s decision to disqualify Phogat shed light on the dangers of cutting weight. Several wrestlers, including American gold medalists Hildebrand and Amit Elor, said more weight classes should be added so that it would be less difficult to make weight.
