Current:Home > reviewsIndian wrestler Vinesh Phogat abruptly retires after disqualification at Olympics -Wealthify
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat abruptly retires after disqualification at Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-18 16:48:59
PARIS — The Indian wrestler who failed to make weight for her gold-medal bout at the 2024 Paris Olympics has abruptly retired.
Vinesh Phogat, who would have been India's first Olympic medalist in wrestling, announced in an emotional post on social media that she is walking away from the sport. The news came less than 24 hours after she had taken dramatic steps to lose weight, including cutting her hair, but came in about 0.2 pounds over the maximum allowed in her class.
In a message written in Hindi and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Phogat said goodbye to her wrestling career and also asked for forgiveness.
"Mother, wrestling won against me. I lost," she wrote in the post, according to a translation published by The Hindustan Times, an English-language newspaper based in Delhi.
"Your dreams and my courage are shattered. I don't have any more strength now."
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
Phogat, 29, is a three-time Olympian and one of India's best-known wrestlers, particularly after her public involvement in protests against the former top official of the country's wrestling federation, who had been accused of sexual harassment. She was one of several female wrestlers in India who had called for criminal charges to be levied against the official, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was ousted from his post last year.
Phogat won two bronze medals at world championships over the past five years plus an Asian Championship in 2021, all in the 53-kilogram weight class. In Paris, however, she dropped down to 50 kilograms − and her first day of competition could not have gone more smoothly.
Phogat started off Tuesday with a stunning upset of Yui Susaki, a Japanese wrestler who had never lost a match against an international opponent and won gold at the Tokyo Games without conceding a single point. She then squeaked by Oksana Livach of Ukraine and beat Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba to qualify for the gold-medal match against American Sarah Hildebrandt.
At the end of that first day, however, Phogat's weight had increased by almost 6 pounds, according to Indian news reports. The Indian Olympic Association said she spent all night sweating in a sauna and working out, with restricted food and water, in an effort to get back down to 50 kilograms by Wednesday morning.
As a last resort, she even cut her hair. But it was not enough, and the IOA said she was later hospitalized for possible dehydration.
"After three tough matches against world class opponents, no athlete should have to spend the night preparing for a gold medal in this manner," NBC commentator and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs wrote on X.
Under international wrestling rules, Phogat was not just disqualified from the gold-medal bout but technically moved into last place in the 16-woman field. The situation prompted both widespread sympathy and furious outcry in India, with politicians publicly urging sports officials to challenge her disqualification.
United World Wrestling officials have told Indian news outlets that, essentially, there is nothing that can be done. Though several of those same outlets reported that Phogat had filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking a panel of arbitrators to award her a silver medal. A spokesperson for CAS did not immediately reply to an email seeking more information, but such an appeal appears unlikely to be successful.
Contributing: Reuters
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
veryGood! (59626)
Related
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- In Alaska’s Cook Inlet, Another Apparent Hilcorp Natural Gas Leak
- Michigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools
- Jill Duggar Is Ready to Tell Her Story in Bombshell Duggar Family Secrets Trailer
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- 13 Things to Pack if You're Traveling Alone for a Safe, Fun & Relaxing Solo Vacation
- These students raised hundreds of thousands to make their playground accessible
- All Eyes on Minn. Wind Developer as It Bets on New ‘Flow Battery’ Storage
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira indicted by federal grand jury
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- It Ends With Us: Blake Lively Has Never Looked More Hipster in New Street Style Photos
- These students raised hundreds of thousands to make their playground accessible
- Stone flakes made by modern monkeys trigger big questions about early humans
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Conor McGregor accused of violently sexually assaulting a woman in a bathroom at NBA Finals game
- Fracking Ban About to Become Law in Maryland
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Look-Alike Son Joseph Baena Breaks Down His Fitness Routine in Shirtless Workout
Recommendation
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
How to watch a rare 5-planet alignment this weekend
Pack These Under $25 Amazon Products to Avoid Breaking Out on Vacation
Red and blue states look to Medicaid to improve the health of people leaving prison
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Can Energy-Efficient Windows Revive U.S. Glass Manufacturing?
Where there's gender equality, people tend to live longer
Warning: TikToker Abbie Herbert's Thoughts on Parenting 2 Under 2 Might Give You Baby Fever