Indian boxer stalwart Vijender Singh has alleged that fighter Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Olympics final could be a case of sabotage as elite athletes like her are well-versed in weight-cutting techniques before major competitions. Vijender, who is India’s first and only male boxer to win an Olympic medal, knows a thing or two about maintaining weight before big fights and said it is shocking that Vinesh was 100 grams heavier at the weigh-in ahead of the Olympic final . “I think it could be sabotage. 100g, you’ve got to be kidding. We athletes can lose 5 to 6kg overnight. It’s difficult, no doubt, but we know how to control our hunger, thirst and push ourselves to the extreme”, the middleweight (75kg) boxer told PTI.
“And when I say sabotage, I mean people who are not happy to see India grow as a sporting nation. This girl has been through so much that your heart breaks for her. What else could she have done? What other test?” he wondered.
Vinesh was the face of a long protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment and intimidation by women wrestlers. She went through police detention, nights on the streets and a tumultuous qualification process before arriving here.
The highlight of her remarkable performance at the Olympics was her maiden victory over defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan, who entered the competition undefeated in her international career.
“I can’t believe Vinesh would make a mistake like this. She’s been an elite athlete for so long that she knows there must be something more to this. what happened is not good at all,” said Vijender, a pioneer of Indian boxing.
Athletes who compete in contact sports, where fights are held by weight categories, need to go through the painful process of remaining in their categories.
It involves spending hours hungry, avoiding even liquids and, in some desperate situations, being huddled in layers of blankets to sweat off the extra weight.
“There were times when I continually spat saliva so that nothing got in, you know. I can’t imagine this extreme exercise. use them to lose weight,” he explained.
It is an extraordinary exercise that takes a physical and mental toll on athletes and in 2018, six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom, in an interview with PTI, revealed how she lost 2kg in a matter of four hours.
Mary Kom landed in Poland for a tournament, where she finally won her third gold that year. But hours before taking the ring, she went through the arduous process of losing weight just to be eligible to fight.
“We landed in Poland around 3:00 to 3:30 in the morning and the general weigh-in was around 7:30. I was a few pounds over 48kg, the category I competed in, at that time,” she said. she said.
“So I had about four hours to lose this or I would have been disqualified for being overweight at the time of the general weigh-in. But I skipped an hour straight and suddenly I was ready.
“Fortunately, the flight we traveled on was almost empty, so I was able to sleep with my legs outstretched, ensuring I didn’t get stiff when I landed there. Otherwise, I don’t know how I would have been able to compete,” she revealed. .
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