Vinesh Phogat’s day of triumph turned into abject despair on Wednesday morning after the wrestler was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh had qualified for the 50kg women’s wrestling final – the first Indian woman to do so. But now she will have to return empty-handed from Paris. The Indian Olympic Association requested privacy for the wrestler, who was competing in her third Olympics.

International rules stipulate that any grappler found overweight at the time of weigh-in ends up at the bottom of the final standings. She had taken down defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan en route the finals on Tuesday in a remarkable performance and was to face American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the summit bout this evening.

Saina Nehwal, star badminton player, said that the nation was disheartened. “I was cheering for her for the last two three days. Every player trains for this moment. I know what she must be feeling. There are no words to describe this as an athlete. May be the weight shot up. She is a fighter and has always made glorious comebacks. Next time she will make sure, a medal comes,” Saina Nehwal told NDTV. 

“She is an experienced athlete. She knows what is right or wrong. I don’y know the details of wrestling. I don’t know if there has been any appeal in Olympics which resulted in something significant. She knows the rule. I don’t what mistake she did, that too on the final day. I have always seen her working very hard. She gives her 100 per cent.”

Saina Nehwal, India’s first Olympic medallist in badminton, was surprised by the ‘mistake’ at such a top level. 

“Generally such type of mistakes don’t happen to any athlete at this level. How did this happen is a question mark. Because she has a big team. She has so many coaches, physios, trainers. They all must be feeling so bad. I am not sure about the rules and regulation of wrestling. As an athlete, I am feeling bad,” Saina said.

“It is not like she is playing her first Olympics, it’s her third Olympics. As an athletes she must know the rules. If there has been a mistake, I don’t know how it happened. At such a big stage, I have not heard any such thing about any other wrestler, that they have been disqualified due to being overweight. She is an experienced athlete. Somewhere there has been a mistake on Vinesh’s part too. She should take the blame too. Before such a big match, such a mistake is not right.”

Saina went on to say that there has been a mistake on Vinesh’s part too.  

“She is an Asian Games champion, a Commonwealth Games champion. Somewhere there must have been mistake on Vinesh’s part too. Because ahead of such a big match any player will be alert that the weight should be within permissible limits. How such a mistake happened only she or her coach can answer. But I am feeling dejected that we have missed one of sure-shot medal,” Saina said.

“I understand what she and her coaches  must be going through. They should answer now. May be by mistake something happened. Her coaches were crying after her victory. They should be in a better position to answer about what exactly happened.”

With PTI inputs