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Vinesh Phogat was due to compete in the final of the women’s 50kg category against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt, but the 29 year-old was disqualified for being overweight at weigh-ins read more
 "What Vinesh Phogat ate and drank before failing to make weight at Paris Olympics")
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for gaining weight by 100 grams. Reuters
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat endured one of the most gruesome heartbreaks on Wednesday, when she was declared to be overweight by 100 grams on the second day of the weigh-in at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Vinesh was due to compete in the final of the women’s 50 kg category against USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt on Wednesday, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that the 29 year-old had in fact been disqualified from the gold medal bout, with her place going to Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán Lopez.
Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more
What was Vinesh’s weight on Tuesday? What did she eat and drink?
According to a Sportstar report, when Vinesh checked her weight on Tuesday, the day of her pre-quarterfinal bout, her weight was 49.90 kg. Although she could hardly walk, she was still fit enough to compete in the opening round.
And compete she did. The 29 year-old defeated Yui Susaki, the Japanese who had not lost a bout to a non-Japanese till then. She then got the better of Oksana Livach in the quarter-finals, before seeing off Guzman in the semi-finals on Tuesday evening. However, Vinesh was set to face an even tougher battle.
Also read | In Vinesh Phogat’s constant battle with destiny, a comeback is guaranteed
Soon after she had gained 300gms of weight in the morning on Tuesday, she had a glass of juice in order to celebrate. In order to rehydrate ahead of her bout, Vinesh drank another two litres of liquid, which resulted in gaining a weight of 2000 grams. She had a few snacks to maintain her energy for the day, and that again spiked Vinesh’s weight by 700 grams.
After the completion of Tuesday’s bouts, Vinesh weighed 52.7 kg. This meant that Vinesh gained weight for a second consecutive day. Problems began for Vinesh from Tuesday night. She could not sleep at all on Tuesday night. For six hours, she spent time on the treadmill and spent three hours in the sauna. She did not have any food, or even drink water.
Vinesh Phogat’s struggle to lose 2 kg | Skipping, jogging and attempting to draw out blood
She kept checking her weight on the weighing machine every few hours. And although her weight began reducing, it was not a drastic reduction. As part of a desperate move, Vinesh’s coaches shortened the elastic at one end of her outfit, and even chopped her hair off.
None of these measures helped, however. As per the report, a United World Wrestling (UWW) official received a call on Wednesday early morning, where a panic-stricken person could be heard asking: “What are the rules if an athlete fails to make weight?”
The answer to this from the official was: “Disqualification”. On Wednesday morning at 7.30 am local time, Vinesh stood on the weighing machine with a doctor, two volunteers and a referee present. The weight machine read 50.1 kg. And she was disqualified.
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English (US) ·