Olympics & Paralympics

India Women’s Wrestler Vinesh Phogat Retires after Missing Weight for Olympic Final

AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
India’s Vinesh Vinesh celebrates after defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman during their women’s freestyle 50kg wrestling semifinal match, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris.

11:06 JST, August 9, 2024

PARIS (AP) — Vinesh Phogat, the Indian women’s wrestler who qualified for the Olympic final at 50 kilograms and then was disqualified for barely missing weight, announced her retirement on social media on Thursday.

In a post translated from Hindi, Phogat said: “My courage is broken, I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling, 2001-2024.”

AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
India’s Vinesh Vinesh, left, celebrates after defeating Japan’s Yui Susaki in the round of 16 of the women’s freestyle 50kg wrestling match, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris.

Phogat beat four-time world and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan on Tuesday. She then won her quarterfinal match against Ukraine’s Oksana Livach 7-5 and her semifinal against Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 to seemingly earn a spot in Wednesday night’s championship match.

United World Wrestling, the sport’s governing body, disqualified Phogat on Wednesday morning. Team India said she was 100 grams — about a fifth of a pound — over the weight limit. Instead of becoming India’s first woman to compete in an Olympic final, she went home empty-handed.

Guzman Lopez replaced Phogat in the final, and American Sarah Hildebrandt defeated Guzman Lopez 3-0 to win the gold medal.

United World Wrestling’s decision to disqualify Phogat shined a light on the dangers of weight-cutting. Several wrestlers, including American gold medalists Hildebrand and Amit Elor, said more weight classes need to be added so it is less difficult to make weight.