In Brief
- Vinesh Phogat announces retirement, citing lack of strength after Olympic disqualification.
- Disqualified from gold medal bout at Paris 2024 for being 100 grams overweight.
- Appeals for the silver medal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport; decision expected today.
On Thursday, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement following her disqualification from the gold medal bout in the 50 kg women’s category at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 29-year-old wrestler, who made history as the first Indian female to reach an Olympic final, was disqualified after the morning weigh-in revealed she was 100 grams overweight.
In a heartfelt post on X in Hindi, she said, “Ma Kusti (Mother, wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now.” She concluded with, “Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024.”
Phogat had secured a spot in the final by winning her semi-final bout 5-0 against Cuban Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who replaced her in the final match and won silver. America’s Sarah Hildebrandt won gold with a 3-0 score.
Phogat has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a joint silver medal, with the decision anticipated today.
A three-time Olympian from Haryana, Vinesh competed in different weight categories across all three Games. In Rio 2016, she competed in the 48 kg category, and in Tokyo 2020, she was in the 53 kg category.
Her achievements include three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018, and 2022) and being the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2018. She also earned bronze medals at the World Wrestling Championships in 2019 and 2022.