Vinesh Phogat announces retirement after Olympics disqualification
New Delhi: India’s ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from wrestling hours after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024.
She made the announcement in an early morning post on social platform X on Thursday.
“Wrestling won the match against me, I lost… my courage is all broken, I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all…,” Vinesh posted on X.
The wrestler lost the chance to fight for the gold medal after she was disqualified for being overweight in the morning weigh-in on Wednesday following her stupendous performance on Tuesday when she stunned the hitherto unbeaten Yui Susaki of Japan in her first bout.
Vinesh made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics. But her redemption story following a disappointing performance in the Tokyo Olympics ended in heartbreak as she was disqualified from the competition after she was found overweight in the second weigh-in on the morning of the final.
Vinesh was found 100 grams over the limit for 50 kg and thus ruled out the competition and placed last as per United World Wrestling rules.
She had kept awake and worked hard along with her coach, support staff and Indian contingent’s chief medical officer all night to shed weight that she had gained to replenish the vital fluids lost in the three bouts and get to 50 kg but to no avail and she turned out overweight by just 100 gm.
She was so dehydrated by her efforts that she had to be admitted to the polyclinic in the Games Village for IV drips.
