Vinesh faints; hospitalised after heartbreaking Paris Olympic disqualification

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, on Wednesday, was hospitalised minutes after she was disqualified from the women’s 50kg freestyle final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 29-year-old, who scripted history on Tuesday by becoming the first woman wrestler to make the final at an Olympics edition, fainted due to dehydration, according to reports in the media.
Phogat was slated to face USA’s Sarah Hilderbrandt in the final on Wednesday evening, after having scripted a phenomenal run on Tuesday, where she beat defending champion and world no. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan in the opener. However, she failed the weigh-in for the 50kgh final as she was found above the permissible weight limit by 100 grams and was subsequently disqualified. This implies that Vinesh will not get the opportunity to have her hands on a maiden Olympic medal. According to article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the semi-final and hence Guzman Lopez Yusneylis will compete in the final against Hilderbrandt. Repechage Susaki Yui vs Livach Oksana will become a bronze medal match.
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests respect for Vinesh’s privacy and would like to focus on the ongoing competitions,” the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement.
Following the heartbreaking development, Vinesh lost consciousness due to dehydration. According to media reports, she was taken to a polyclinic of the Olympic Village, where she is stable and resting.
According to the rules of the competition, wrestlers have to show their weight twice during the competition – on the morning of the preliminary rounds and the morning of the final. Vinesh matched the criteria on Tuesday. However, she gained two kilograms through the course of the day, where he went through three bouts to qualify for the final. She tried her best to meet the criteria as she stayed awake all through the night, jogging and skipping. Her team even went to the extent of cutting her hair and drawing out blood, but she was found overweight by 100 grams at the weigh-in.
According to article 11 of the United World Wrestling’s rule book, “If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated of the competition and ranked last, without rank.”