Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat Announces Retirement
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced retirement after her heartbreaking disqualification from the Olympics, saying she doesn't have the strength to continue.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement following her disqualification from the Olympics. She cited a lack of strength to continue in her statement.
The 29-year-old was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight before her 50kg category gold medal bout on Wednesday. She announced her decision on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Addressing her mother Premlata, Vinesh wrote, "Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me. Your dreams and my courage, everything is broken. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive me," added the two-time world championships bronze medallist.
Vinesh appealed her disqualification from the Olympic finals on Wednesday in the Court of Arbitration for Sports, demanding a joint silver medal.
She spent much of the day at a polyclinic inside the Games village due to severe dehydration caused by her attempts to make weight. These efforts included fasting, avoiding fluids, and staying up all night to sweat.
An ad-hoc division of the CAS has been set up for resolution by arbitration of disputes arising during the Olympic Games or the period of 10 days preceding the Opening Ceremony. Her appeal will be taken up in the next few hours.
Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semifinals, replaced her in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
Hildebrandt won the bout to claim gold. Vinesh is now relying on CAS to award a joint silver medal with Lopez.
However, the sport's international governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW), has stated that the current weigh-in rule cannot be changed.
"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 discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it cannot be done retrospectively," the UWW said in a statement late on Wednesday after its President Nenad Lalovic met IOA chief PT Usha.
Vinesh made 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.
