Olympics 2024: Will There Be No Silver Medal Awarded After Vinesh Phogat’s Disqualification?

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat faced a devastating blow on Wednesday as she was disqualified from the women's 50kg wrestling competition at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Despite her remarkable journey to the gold-medal match, Phogat's Olympic dreams were shattered when she failed to make the weight cut.

Phogat, who had advanced to the final after a series of impressive victories, including a win over Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman, was set to compete against USA's Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.

However, the Indian Olympic Association announced her disqualification after she weighed in a few grams over the 50kg limit on Wednesday (August 7) morning.

No Medal for Vinesh Phogat?

The disqualification of Phogat not only affects her personal aspirations but also impacts the distribution of medals in the 50kg category. According to the weigh-in rules by United World Wrestling, if an athlete fails to attend or pass the weigh-in, they are eliminated from the competition and ranked last in the event.

This regulation means that Phogat is completely eliminated from the bracket. As per these rules, there is no provision for awarding a silver medal in the event of a disqualification before the final match. Since Phogat was disqualified, she is not eligible to be the runner-up, and therefore, she will not be awarded a silver medal.

The Impact on Medal Distribution

According to the article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the Semifinal. Therefore GUZMAN LOPEZ Yusneylis will compete in the Final. Repechage SUSAKI Yui (JPN) vs LIVACH Oksana (UKR) will become Bronze Medal Match.

The Weight Cut Struggle

Despite the team's best efforts through the night, which included intensive activities like jogging, skipping, and cycling, Phogat could not shed the excess weight. The Indian contingent made earnest appeals for an extension, hoping for a final chance to lose the remaining grams, but their requests were denied.

"Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you to respect Vinesh's privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions at hand," read a statement from the Indian Olympic Association.