Former Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat made headlines at the 2024 Paris Olympics by defeating the world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion Yui Susaki, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the finals of the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, a dramatic turn of events occurred when Vinesh was disqualified from the gold medal match due to being 100 grams overweight. This disqualification not only excluded her from the chance to compete for gold but also denied her the possibility of winning silver.
Vinesh subsequently appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to be awarded joint-silver in the Women’s 50kg category. However, her appeal was recently dismissed by the CAS, with the detailed verdict expected to be released later this month.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Woller Akos, Vinesh’s coach during the Paris Olympics, shared the intense struggle she endured in cutting weight. Akos described a harrowing five-and-a-half-hour ordeal where Vinesh worked to shed excess weight. After the semi-final, she had 2.7 kg to lose, and despite vigorous efforts including exercise and sauna sessions, she was still 1.5 kg over. Akos recounted the extreme measures they took, including continuous cardio and wrestling drills from midnight until early morning, and expressed his concern for her well-being, fearing for her life.
On the morning of her scheduled final bout, Vinesh was hospitalized due to dehydration. During their return from the hospital, Akos revealed that Vinesh remained remarkably positive. She told him, “Coach, don’t be sad. You told me that if I ever needed extra energy, I should remember that I beat the best woman wrestler in the world. I’ve achieved my goal and proved that I am among the best. Medals and podiums are secondary; performance is what counts.”
Vinesh also urged her fellow wrestlers, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, not to throw their hard-earned Olympic medals into a river, as had been suggested. She acknowledged their importance but emphasized the value of the journey and the performance over the medals. Akos concluded by highlighting the historic achievement of Vinesh’s performance, noting that their professional training had led to defeating the world’s best wrestler and making history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic final.
