Vinesh Phogat’s unexpected disqualification from the Paris Olympics sent shockwaves across the Indian sporting spectrum. The authority’s decision raised a lot of questions among fans on social media, as everyone wondered why Vinesh couldn’t lose the last 100 grams to drop below the 50kg mark to compete in the gold medal match. Vinesh was competing in the 50kg wrestling event as the 53kg category was blocked by fellow wrestler Antim Panghal. Vinesh, whose natural weight is around 56-57kg, had difficulty controlling his weight, which ultimately became the reason for his withdrawal from the Paris Games.
Myth-busting guide on Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Games:
Was Vinesh also overweight on the first day of his events?
No, Vinesh was not overweight on the first day of events. She weighed in before her fights and cut below the 50kg mark. That’s why she was allowed to compete.
How did Vinesh gain weight before the second day of her events?
After the fights, Vinesh had to drink water and eat basic foods like fruits, vegetables and some bread to replenish lost energy. If one does this, one can easily gain 2 kilos, especially when one’s body is exhausted, which happened to Vinesh as she was competing in a weight category that was not natural for her.
Why was Vinesh unable to lose the desired weight?
After consuming some water and food, after the fights on the first day, Vinesh gained weight. She worked all night to meet the 50kg criteria. She managed to reach the 50kg and 100g mark, but the last cut couldn’t be made because she was incredibly exhausted. She was so exhausted that it was not possible to induce sweating and weight loss was not what she wanted.
Could Vinesh have had an exception as she was only 100 grams overweight?
No, the margin doesn’t matter. It is a strict weight limit of 50.00 kilos, even if she weighed 1 milligram more than that, she would have been disqualified.
Would Phogat have won a medal if she had declared herself injured?
If Vinesh declared herself injured on the second day, the UWW doctor would have to come in and check on her. Even in that case, Vinesh would have had to give her weight and if she had gone over, she would have been disqualified. If Vinesh had declared herself injured on the first day, by successfully completing the weigh-in during the morning check, she would have won the silver medal.
Why didn’t Vinesh get the silver medal?
Disqualification means that the fighter would not receive any medal and all of her results in the event would be nullified. Hence, no silver medal for Vinesh.
The rule says: “If an athlete does not appear or fails at the weigh-in (1st or 2nd weigh-in), they will be eliminated from the competition and will be in last place, without classification. day, he will not need to attend the second weigh-in and will keep his results.”
Could Vinesh have had more time to reduce her weight?
It is a UWW rule that weigh-ins must take place early in the morning. The intention is to give fighters enough time to refuel before the fight and not go to the mat exhausted.
Is the 2-day weigh-in rule a new thing?
The rule was introduced in 2017 when the UWW changed the format of Olympic wrestling from one day to two days. This decision was made to help athletes by preventing them from losing too much weight in one day and competing.
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