Sport is capable of demonstrating both beauty and cruelty. It can elevate you to the top of the world or cast you into the depths of despair. For Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, the past 24 hours have vividly illustrated this duality.
In a single day, she went from defeating the undefeated and being on the brink of making history as the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic gold, to being disqualified and left without a ranking.
In a heartbreaking twist on Thursday, Phogat was disqualified from the Paris 2024 Olympics due to being over the weight limit in the women’s 50kg category, on the morning of her gold medal bout.
She first overcame top seed and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, who had never lost an international bout before, and then defeated former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
Explained: Why Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from Olympics wrestling gold medal match
In the semi-final, Phogat defeated reigning Pan American Games champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba to ensure her best-ever run in the Olympics.
For the historic final, Phogat was set to compete against sixth-seeded Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA. Phogat had defeated Hildrebrandt twice in the 53kg category in the past.
Both the grapplers had dropped down to the 50kg weight category and improved vastly since then. It was guaranteed to be a delicious contest.
What happened behind the scenes must not overshadow the incredible campaign Phogat had.
She fought her way to the final with a series of impressive, tactical victories, overcoming personal and professional battles. She endured multiple challenges over the past year, faced character attacks and dealt with the intense pressure of putting up a better performance in the Olympics, while also handling a reduced weight.
Her performance deserves the same recognition that it got after the three victories on Tuesday before the circumstances that led to her disqualification. She did win those matches fair and square. She did so by fulfilling the eligibility criteria and being within the weight limit, after all.
Until the eve of the final, it appeared that the critics would be silenced, at least briefly. Those who questioned her credentials and commitment to the sport and the nation’s glory seemed poised to be quieted.
However, given the track record and the swift way in which the online world can tarnish reputations, it’s not surprising that the detractors have resurfaced yet again.
It all started in January 2023 when Phogat, along with other prominent wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, protested against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India and ex-BJP MP.
In doing so, she challenged the establishment. For 40 days they protested at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and it all came to a head when the Delhi Police manhandled and detained the wrestlers.
Phogat proceeded to fight for what she believed in regardless.
She fought through that, overcame a knee injury that required surgery, and got herself ready for the Olympics.
The failure to make it to the weigh-in on Wednesday and a potential gold lost ought to sting the country. But perhaps, nobody would be more crestfallen than Phogat herself. She knows best the immense effort it took to reach this point and to execute her best campaign after a challenging year.
The searing pain of being stretchered away from Rio 2016, weeping as her ACL tore in her left knee. The devastation after being pinned in the Tokyo 2020 quarter-final. These are memories that remain vivid for fans of Indian wrestling. And its bound to replay in Phogat’s mind.
She knows the feeling of the helplessness she experienced when she considered immersing her medals or returning her most prestigious awards in order to be heard, as she protested against the establishment.
She knows the work she had to put in to make be fit enough to appear for trials in two weight categories – 50kg and 53kg.
The humiliation of being manhandled by police in the streets of Delhi is bound to be still fresh in her mind – it was replayed all across social media when she reached the final on Tuesday. And now, the grief of having to abandon her dream due to a technicality she tried so hard to rectify is a pain that only she can truly comprehend.
Every minute Phogat stayed on the mat in Paris, despite it all, is a testament to her fortitude.
The Olympic medal continues to elude her and she deserved it more than ever in Paris. But she has never needed validation for her greatness, anyway.
