“Champion among champions”—that’s how many see Vinesh Phogat. Yet, heartbreak struck at the Paris Olympics. Vinesh was found to be around 100 grams over the permissible weight on the second day of weigh-ins, leading to her disqualification. Notably, she was under the limit on the first day. Meanwhile, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, whom Vinesh had beaten in the semi-final, was asked to compete for gold against Sarah Hildebrandt. In the final, Hildebrandt defeated the Cuban wrestler 3-0 to claim gold, leaving Guzman Lopez with silver.

A devastating turn of events marked a dramatic 24 hours for Phogat. It started with her disqualification from the 50 kg gold medal bout for being 100 grams over the limit. The ordeal ended with her retiring from the sport in an early morning tweet. She posted on X on Thursday, “Mother wrestling won against me, I lost… Your dreams and my courage are shattered. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive (me).” This heart-wrenching decision came just hours after the Indian Olympic Association had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to plead Vinesh’s case.

At 29 years old, Vinesh Phogat made history as the first Indian female wrestler to reach the Olympic finals, guaranteeing herself at least a silver medal in the women’s 50 kg category. However, on the morning of her bout, she was disqualified for being overweight during the mandatory weigh-in. Despite the best efforts of her coaches, support staff, and the Indian Olympic Association, Vinesh could not compete. Even though she was set to compete for the Gold, the last-minute decision left her shattered. Before she breached the weight limit, her training was on point, and she was under the weight limit. Vinesh had barely passed the rigorous weight assessments on day one of her bouts. However, after grueling matches, she dismayingly found herself heavier despite taking extreme actions to slim down.

In a desperate bid to lose weight, Vinesh Phogat undertook extreme measures, including skipping meals, exercising through the night, sweating excessively, cutting her hair, and even drawing blood. These intense efforts resulted in her hospitalization as a precaution. Everyone was shocked, and IOA President PT Usha expressed her disappointment and shock at Vinesh’s disqualification and later confirmed that to Sports NDTV: “After hearing the news that Vinesh Phogat is disqualified, I am shocked and disappointed. I had come here to meet Vinesh; she is physically and medically okay. Mentally, she is disappointed. Our support staff is with her, trying their best to help her reduce weight.”

The Chief Medical Officer for India’s Olympic team, Dinshaw Pardiwala, revealed that Vinesh Phogat exceeded the weight limit by 2.7 kg after her semi-final bout. They tried to reduce her weight by restricting her food and water intake but failed, resulting in the defeat of her valiant efforts in the ring. This failure dashed her hopes. Following her disqualification on Wednesday, Phogat made an impassioned plea to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, begging them to award her the silver medal she had earned through her prowess and perseverance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his support on X, tweeting, “Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head-on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you.”

Her uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat, was shattered by the news. Previously, he hinted at Phogat preparing for the LA Olympics, to be held in 2028. A much older Vinesh could have overcome numerous rising stars to secure a spot, using the time to move back up and compete in her natural weight class. Her first reaction to the day’s events was to tell her coach, “It’s hard luck that we missed the medal, but it is part of the game.” However, with the latest news surfacing about her retirement from the sport, all hope but one now seems lost… Maybe, just maybe, a positive outcome to Phogat’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for the silver medal can change the course of her decision?

Vinesh Phogat appealed to CAS for the silver medal, know its rules and process

As night fell, Phogat awaited the ruling from CAS with bated breath. Everyone involved in this dismal incident hoped that justice would prevail. Not just her countrymen, but even other entities involved in the sport, like 6x World Wrestling Champion Jordan Burroughs, opened up with a suggestion of a five-point rule against the unfairness emanating from the ones currently in place and a “what if” situation like permitting wrestlers a 1-kilogram leeway on the second day of competition.

Such flexibility with weight regulations could be a standard practice at international events governed by UWW’s guidelines. He also suggests moving the weigh-ins back two hours to aid athletes recovering from grueling late matches, as was important for Vinesh Phogat following her lengthy battle against Sarah Hildebrandt.

Strict compliance with weight limits is what separates amateurs from the elite, but some leniency could benefit wrestlers’ health without compromising the integrity of the sport. It is a good response to what Nenad Lalovic said on weight cuts and Phogat’s situation: “We should be more strict on that because we have a problem that you are living in this moment. The wrestlers are losing too much weight and it’s not good for their health.”

For now, it doesn’t look like United World Wrestling (UWW) will change the current weigh-in rule. The organization said, “UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it could not be done retrospectively.” This statement followed a meeting between UWW President Lalovic and IOA chief PT Usha late Wednesday.

While all fans and other prominent figures were waiting for the final decision of UWW on Thursday morning, they announced, “If an athlete fails to attend or does not pass the weigh-in, they will be disqualified from the competition and ranked last without any standing,” stating further that “rules are rules,” and it cannot be changed.

Vinesh Phogat, a three-time Olympian with gold medals from the Asian and Commonwealth Games, has been facing quite a challenging year. She was the face of intense protests against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces accusations of several acts of misconduct reported by female grapplers. Previously competing in the 53 kg category, Phogat had to drop to 50 kg just months before the Games after Antim Panghal secured the Paris quota place in that division. Now that the world awaits to know what decision CAS settles on, do you think Burroughs’ suggestions on the Olympics’ new rule on wrestlers’ weight hold any weight? If implemented, can it impact future competition at the Olympics for the better? Let us know in the comments below.