An athlete’s worst nightmare, a whole nation’s dream snuffed. What could have been gold — silver for certain — was turned to dust by a weighing scale that not only threw braveheart wrestler Vinesh Phogat out of her would-be gold bout but also stripped her Olympics story of any silver lining. Tragedy, thy name is Paris.
Vinesh was at the cusp of glory — her battle not limited to the three back-to-back bouts that she had won on Tuesday to enter the final. Before that, the 29-year-old had waged a relentless war against the might of the government that remained intransigent to the protests by wrestlers who accused their federation chief of repeated sexual assault.
Abuse, police assault, vilification, taunt, 40 nights on the pavements of Delhi during a daunting struggle that could not move the government — nothing could shake Vinesh. But when she stood on the weighing scale on Wednesday morning, only 100 grams tilted the scales against her favour. The wrestler, playing in the 50kg category, had overshot the weight cut-off by just 100 grams and was disqualified.
The Indian contingent’s chief medical officer, Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, said wrestlers are given high-energy food and a small amount of water after the weigh-in to replenish their energy. Athletes competing in contact sports go without food and even water two days before the weigh-in and are given small portions only after the weigh-in and just before the match.
AGONY: Her face contorted in anguish and pain, Vinesh Phogat is dragged and hauled by police during the wrestlers’ protest march to the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023 Sourced by The Telegraph
Vinesh’s nutritionist had calculated the possible weight gain from the intake to be 1.5kg when the wrestler replenished herself before Tuesday’s bouts. Through the night, every step was taken for Vinesh to shed this extra weight — including non-stop exercises and even a haircut and hold your breath — drawing of blood from her veins.
But all the efforts came to nought when Vinesh managed to shed 1.4kg, falling agonisingly short by 100 grams.
At the mixed zone after the semi-final win, Vinesh had promised journalists that she would speak after the final. “I have to shed weight now. Will speak tomorrow,” she had said. In front of the athletes’ arena at the expansive Champs de Mars, Vinesh kept jogging and skipping in a sweat suit under the watchful eyes of her Belgian coach Woller Akos.
Pardiwala said in a video released by the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday after the disqualification: “Wrestlers generally participate in a weight category less than their natural weight. It gives them an advantage because they are fighting with less stronger opponents. The process of weight cut, prior to the weigh-in in the morning, involves a calculated restriction of food and water along with sweating from exercises and sauna. This weight cut causes weakness and energy depletion, which is counter-productive to participation.”
Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala added: “For energy restoration, limited water and high-energy foods are given after weigh-in. Vinesh’s nutritionist had calculated this to be 1.5kg, which gives enough energy for the bouts (on Tuesday). Sometimes there is also a factor of rebound weight gain following competition.”
“Now, Vinesh had three bouts. Her post-participation weight was found to have increased more than normal. The coach initiated the normal process of weight cut that he has always employed.This is something he has done with Vinesh for a long time and felt confident that it would be achieved and over the night we went with the weight-cut procedure. However, in the morning, we found that her weight was 100gm overthe weight category. All possible drastic measures, including cutting off her hair, were used. However, her weight could not be brought down below 50kg.”
Vinesh, who had become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category, was taken to the polyclinic inside the Games Village after the disqualification as all the weight-reducing efforts had left her severely dehydrated. She had to be administered intravenous fluids.
“We got some blood tests done too as a precautionary measure. This was done at a local Olympic hospital. All of Vinesh’s parameters during the weight cut were normal and throughout this process, she felt perfectly normal,” Pardiwala said.
On Tuesday, Vinesh had taken down defending champion Yui Susaki en route to the finals and was to face American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the summit bout on Wednesday night.
Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semi-finals, replaced the disqualified Indian in the final. “Vinesh failed the second-day weigh-in. According to Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the semi-final. Therefore Yusneylis Guzman Lopez will compete in the final,” the Paris Games organising committee said in a statement.
“Repechage Yui Susaki vs Oksana Livach (Ukraine) will become bronze medal match,” it added.
The United World Wrestling (UWW) rule for the Olympic Games, Asian Games and world and continental championships states that a wrestler has to go for two weigh-ins — one for the knock-out rounds and another on the morning of the final round. If the wrestler overshoots the weight limit, they can stand on the scales as many times as they wish within a 15-minute period. Vinesh went for two weigh-ins and failed both.
Vinesh’s natural body weight is about 56-57kg and it takes massive effort for her to get down to 50kg.
While in invitational tournaments the UWW allows for a grace of up to 2kg, no such relaxation exists for the Olympics.
“I met Vinesh at the Olympic Village Polyclinic a short while ago and assured her of complete support,” Indian Olympic Association president P.T. Usha said in a statement.
“The Wrestling Federation of India has filed an appeal to the UWW to reconsider the decision to disqualify Vinesh and the IOA is following that up in the strongest possible manner,” she added.
The efforts, however, yielded no results.
Vinesh was the talk of the wrestling arena on Wednesday. “I cannot think something like this could happen. It’s shocking,” Nigerian women’s team coach Purity Akuh said. “I can understand what she is going through,” Mia Lahnee Ramos Aquino, a Guam wrestler in the 53kg category, said.
