Crestfallen Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the Gold medal match just hours before its start due to her over weight, has announced retirement just a while ago, sending further shockwaves to the wrestling community. She took to her X and revealed this heartbreaking news through an emotional post.
Vinesh wrote in Hindi “Wrestling won match 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. Sorry,” she wrote.
The 29-year-old had become the first Indian female wrestler to advance to the finals of the Olympic Games and assured herself at least a silver medal in women’s 50kg. Just when the entire country was expecting her to script history at the coveted Olympics by putting an end the elusive Gold medal in this year’s games, all dreams have been shattered with her unceremonious exit as she was found overweight in the mandatory weigh-in on the morning of her bout, which led to disqualification from the event despite the best efforts by her coaches, support staff and the Indian Olympic Association.
She had to be taken to a polyclinic at the Games village owing to severe dehydration caused by her desperate measures to make the cut, which included going hungry, avoiding fluids and staying up all night to sweat it out. She even tried to cut her hair short to reduce excess weight. But nothing worked.
The whole nation and the entire sports fraternity stood behind her for the heroic spirit displayed to shed weight on the last day.