Following Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) president PT Usha about the wrestler’s case and the range of options ahead of her at the Games.
As per sources, PM Modi has also asked the IOA president to file a protest regarding Vinesh’s disqualification should it help the 29-year-old’s case on Wednesday.
Vinesh was slated to take on USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt in the 50kg wrestling gold-medal bout on Wednesday night at the Champ de Mars. However, she narrowly missed weight at the mandatory weigh-in on bout-day morning.
Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian.
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…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2024
The Indian Express understands that the wrestler, who reached the final defying all odds, was approximately 2 kilos overweight on Tuesday night. Vinesh did not sleep the whole night and did everything in her capacity to meet the criteria – from jogging to skipping and cycling.
Vinesh Phogat disqualification live updates
‘Champion among champions’
“Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India’s pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. 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,” PM wrote on X.
Earlier, the IOA released its official statement, saying: “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand.”
Vinesh, who had suffered twin heartbreaks at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Games with quarter-final defeats, made a stunning run to the final on Tuesday. Vinesh trumped defending champion, Japan’s Yui Susaki in the first round, before proceeding to take down Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.
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