Current:Home > MyIndian wrestler Vinesh Phogat abruptly retires after disqualification at Olympics -Zenith Investment School
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat abruptly retires after disqualification at Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-16 20:26:25
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! (77)
Related
- 'Most Whopper
- U.S. will not participate in reprisal strike against Iran, senior administration official says
- ERNEST on new album and overcoming a heart attack at 19 to follow his country music dreams
- 2 bodies found, 4 people arrested in connection to missing Kansas women in Oklahoma
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- AP Source: General Motors and Bedrock real estate plan to redevelop GM Detroit headquarters towers
- WalletHub: Honolulu city hit hardest by inflation
- Rep. McCaul says decision on Ukraine aid vote is a speaker determination
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- 'Civil War': Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny break down 'heartbreaking' yet disturbing ending
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Victor Manuel Rocha, ex-U.S. ambassador who spied for Cuba for decades, sentenced to 15 years
- Brittney Griner and Cherelle Griner Expecting First Baby Together
- 'Pirsig's Pilgrims' pay homage to famous 'Zen' author by re-creating his motorcycle ride
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Pilot of experimental plane fell out and hit the tail in 2022 crash that killed 2, investigators say
- Gun supervisor for ‘Rust’ movie to be sentenced for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set
- Tax Day deals 2024: Score discounts, freebies at Krispy Kreme, Hooters, Potbelly, more
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
2 officers, suspect killed in shootout in Syracuse, New York, suburb, authorities say
A Highway in Indiana Could One Day Charge Your EV While You’re Driving It
'SNL': Ryan Gosling sings Taylor Swift to say goodbye to Ken, Kate McKinnon returns
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Ohio River near Pittsburgh is closed as crews search for missing barge, one of 26 that broke loose
From Stanley cups to Samsung phones, this duo launches almost anything into space. Here’s why.
Pilot of experimental plane fell out and hit the tail in 2022 crash that killed 2, investigators say