Vinesh Phogat Disqualified at Paris Olympics: A Missed Golden Opportunity

Vinesh Phogat's disqualification in the 50 kg final at the Paris Olympics due to weight issues has been termed unfortunate by Karnam Malleswari and PT Usha. This rare incident has left Phogat disappointed and India reflecting on a missed gold or silver chance. India has so far secured three bronze medals.

Following Vinesh Phogat's disqualification in the 50 kg category final at the Paris Olympics, Karnam Malleswari, India's first woman Olympic medalist, called the incident unfortunate on Wednesday, highlighting it as a missed golden opportunity for the Indian wrestler. Phogat was set to compete against the United States' Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for gold but was disqualified for breaching the weight limit.

Dinshaw Pardiwala, Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Olympic contingent, disclosed that Phogat exceeded the weight limit by 2.7 kg after her semi-final bout. Efforts to reduce her weight by limiting food and water intake were unsuccessful. Malleswari, speaking to ANI, expressed dismay, stating this is the first instance she's heard of an athlete disqualified due to body weight.

Malleswari said, 'I am sad to listen to this...I heard about such an incident for the first time in my career that a player gets disqualified because of her body weight...I don't know how this mistake happened, but it's unfortunate as it was a golden opportunity for Vinesh...If this had not happened we could have won gold or silver...It's a huge loss for Vinesh and the country.' Phogat reached the gold medal bout by defeating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha expressed her shock and disappointment over Phogat's disqualification. She confirmed Phogat is physically and medically fine but mentally disappointed. Usha noted that the support staff is actively working to help Phogat manage her weight. 'After hearing the news that Vinesh Phogat is disqualified, I am shocked and disappointed. I had come here to meet Vinesh; she is physically and medically okay. Mentally, she is disappointed. Our support staff is with her, trying their best to help her reduce weight,' PT Usha said.

India has so far won three bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, all in shooting. The country narrowly missed additional medals, finishing fourth in events including the 10m air rifle, 25m pistol, skeet team, badminton singles, and mixed archery team events. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)