Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement after her disqualification from the Olympics, saying she doesn't have the strength to continue. The 29-year-old, who was disqualified for being 100gm overweight ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout on Wednesday, announced her decision via social media.
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Addressing her mother Premlata, Vinesh wrote, "Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me, your dreams and my courage, everything is broken. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me)," added the two-time world championships bronze-medallist.
माँ कुश्ती मेरे से जीत गई मैं हार गई माफ़ करना आपका सपना मेरी हिम्मत सब टूट चुके इससे ज़्यादा ताक़त नहीं रही अब।
अलविदा कुश्ती 2001-2024 ��
आप सबकी हमेशा ऋणी रहूँगी माफी ����
- Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 7, 2024
Vinesh appealed against her disqualification from the Olympic finals on Wednesday in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal.
She spent a good part of the day at a polyclinic inside 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.
An ad-hoc division of the CAS had been set up in Paris for resolution by arbitration of any disputes arising during the Olympic Games or during a period of 10 days preceding the Opening Ceremony. Vinesh's appeal was to be taken up in the next few hours.
Explained: Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from Paris Olympics? How does wrestling weigh-in work?
Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semifinals, replaced her in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt. Hidebrandt won the bout to claim gold and Vinesh is now banking on CAS to be a joint silver-medallist with Lopez.
However, the sport's international governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW) has made it clear on its part that the current weigh-in rule cannot be changed as of now. "On IOA's suggestion that a wrestler's results from the day on which the athlete met the weigh-in requirements should not be disqualified, the UWW President was sympathetic.
"UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it could not be done retrospectively," the world body said in a statement late on Wednesday after its President Nenad Lalovic met IOA chief P T Usha.
Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category on Tuesday night. She was assured of at least a silver medal before the disqualification.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini announced that Vinesh would be received as a medal-winner back home, saying "Our brave daughter of Haryana, Vinesh Phogat, performed brilliantly and entered the finals of the Olympics. Due to some reasons, she may not have been able to play the final of the Olympics, but she is a champion for all of us."
"Our government has decided that Vinesh Phogat will be welcomed and felicitated like a medallist. All the respect, rewards and facilities that the Haryana government gives to an Olympic silver medallist will be gratefully given to Vinesh Phogat as well. We are proud of you Vinesh!"
हरियाणा की हमारी बहादुर बेटी विनेश फौगाट ने ज़बरदस्त प्रदर्शन करके ओलंपिक में फाइनल में प्रवेश किया था। किन्हीं भी कारणों से वो भले ही ओलंपिक का फाइनल नहीं खेल पाई हो लेकिन हम सबके लिए वो एक चैंपियन है।
हमारी सरकार ने ये फैसला किया है कि विनेश फौगाट का स्वागत और अभिनंदन एक...
- Nayab Saini (@NayabSainiBJP) August 8, 2024
Vinesh retires as a three-time Olympian and has won gold medals in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games. For the past one year, she had also been the face of fierce protests against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment.