'Wrestling Won, I Lost' - Vinesh Phogat Bids Aideu to Sport After Olympics 2024 Disqualification

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement following the heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, saying wrestling has won, she lost and she doesn't have the strength to continue.

Phogat had created history by becoming the first Indian women's wrestler to enter an Olympic final, having overcome the superior seeded opponents to reach the final in the 50kg weight category in freestyle wrestling.

However, the Indian wrestler's joy was short-lived after she weighed in over the limit on Wednesday (August 7) during the weigh-in for the gold medal match, and was disqualified from competition.

The 29-year-old, who was disqualified for being 100gm overweight ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout, took to social media to announce her decision to retire from the sport.

Addressing her mother Premlata, Vinesh wrote, "Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me, your dreams and my courage, everything is broken," Vinesh posted on X.

"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.

Vinesh has appealed against her disqualification from the Olympic finals 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 has 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. Her appeal will be taken up in the coming hours.

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.