Wrestler Vinesh Phogat of India, who was disqualified from competing for a gold medal in the Olympics for her weight, says she will “continue to fight” for what she believes in.
Phogat was set to compete for a gold medal when she was disqualified for weighing about 3 ounces more than the limit.
In a statement shared to X on Aug. 16, the 29-year-old wrestler expressed that the disqualifying decision was unfairly made.
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“All I want to say is that we did not give up, our efforts did not stop, and we did not surrender, but the clock stopped, and the time was not fair. So was my fate,” her statement reads in part.
“To my team, my fellow Indians and my family, it feels like the goal we were working towards and what we had planned to achieve is unfinished, that something might always remain missing and that things might never be the same again. Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing til 2032 because the fight in me and wrestling in me will always be there.”
The athlete appealed for a shared silver medal, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed her request on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
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In a story relatable to anyone who’s ever been frustrated by their daily weight fluctuations, Phogat, 29, “tried all possible drastic measures” to lower the number on the scale, including severely limiting her diet, spending hours in the sauna and even cutting her hair, Reuters reported.
To no avail.
Why did Vinesh Phogat disqualify?
Phogat competes in the 50-kilogram (110-pound) weight class, meaning she can’t weigh more. She reached the final for that weight category on Tuesday, Aug. 6 — the first Indian woman wrestler to make it that far.
But on Wednesday, Aug. 7, the day she was to compete for the gold medal, the required weigh-in revealed she was just over the limit.
“Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning,” the Indian Olympic Association posted on X.
Phogat was 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, overweight and she was disqualified, according to nbcolympics.com. That's about the weight of a small apple.
Vinesh Phogat's Olympic match 2024
Viren Rasquinha, the CEO of Olympic Gold Quest — a nonprofit organization that sponsors Indian athletes and has been supporting Phogat — posted details of what happened on X.
According to Rasquinha:
- Phogat weighed under the limit on the morning of Aug. 6, then had a recovery meal to regain strength.
- That evening, after the semifinal, she weighed 52.7 kilograms (116 pounds) and had about 12 hours to lose the extra 2.7 kilograms (6 pounds) until the next morning's weigh-in.
- To do that, the wrestler didn't have any more water or food, and exercised throughout the night instead of sleeping. "She and her team did everything possible — steam, sauna, static cycling, running, gym, etc." Rasquinha wrote.
- Phogat "pushed herself to the limits" under the supervision of her doctor, nutritionist and coach, but missed the required weight by 100 grams during the weigh-in on the morning of Aug. 7.
- She normally weighs 55 kilograms (121 pounds) but like many wrestlers, she fights in a lower weight class — usually 53 kilograms (about 117 pounds). Another wrestler won the quota for India in that category for the Olympics as Phogat was recovering from knee surgery in 2023, so she decided to compete in the 50-kilogram weight class.
The woman she beat in the semifinals, Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, replaced her in the gold medal match. She went on to lose to American wrestler Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
Afterwards, Phogat had to be treated for dehydration at the Olympic Village clinic because she had restricted her food and drink so severely to reduce her weight, Olympics.com reported.
She also announced her retirement from the sport.
“I don’t have the strength to go on anymore. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive me,” Vinesh posted on X.
What about Vinesh Phogat’s silver medal?
On Friday, Aug. 9, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the wrestler was asking to be awarded a shared silver medal.
The arbitrator dismissed her request on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
How normal is it for weight to fluctuate?
Daily weight fluctuations of 2 to 3 pounds either up or down are normal, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
They can be caused by everything from hormones, stress, constipation and water retention, to life events such as changing jobs or going through a breakup.
Even the day of the week can make a difference. Weight increases on the weekends as people often eat and drink more on their days off, then decreases again during the week, studies have found.
But drastic unexplained weight changes should be discussed with your doctor. Sudden weight loss when you’re not trying to shed pounds, for example, can be a symptom of illness.
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