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She couldn’t take it anymore. At 5:17 am on Thursday, after a day and a half that almost sucked life out of wrestler Vinesh Phogat and a mere 100 grams outweighed the hopes of 1.5 billion Indians, she decided that this rollercoaster must stop.
From the Athletes Village at the
Paris Olympics
, after making her third appearance at the sanctum sanctorum of sports, Vinesh wrote: “Alvida kushti” and punched the key on her phone to beep and wake India up to the unfortunate news.
After weighing a 100 gm more than her weight category of 50kg, Vinesh was disqualified and the echo of the uproar was heard in the Indian parliament as well. And understandably, it would have been too much for her to see someone who she beat in the semifinals winning the silver medal for her country.
Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman Lopez took Vinesh’s place in the final against the American Sarah Hildebrandt. Sarah took home gold, Lopez silver, Vinesh crushed dreams.
Here’s how those horror 31 hours panned out, since Vinesh won the semifinal on Tuesday to become the first woman wrestler to enter an Olympic final. The rest of the story unfolded off the mat as Vinesh ended her career with a social media post.
1030 pm, Aug 6: Vinesh beats Lopez to enter the final
– Excuses herself from media interactions in the mixed zone. “Kal baat karenge (we’ll talk tomorrow)”, she said.
– Soon after winning her bout, she talks to family on a video call at a booth installed at the
wrestling
venue in Paris, the Champ-de-Mars Arena. “Gold lana hai gold (have to win gold),” she is heard saying ecstatically.
– In almost no time Vinesh is pictured exercising in her sweatsuit as her coach, the Hungarian Woller Akos, observes closely.
– She was reportedly 2 kg overweight on Tuesday night after her semifinal bout.
– Indian contingent’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, in coordination with Chef de Mission Gagan Narang and IOA president PT Usha work overnight on measures to bring Vinesh’s weight down to under 50kg
– She spends the night without getting much sleep or food and only minimal water as replenishment to avoid dehydration.
– On the day of her final, Thursday, August 7, Vinesh’s weight remains marginally above 50kg. Her hair and cloth are trimmed before the second official weigh-in.
– She goes for the weigh-in on Thursday morning and is found overweight by 100 gm.
– Vinesh gets disqualified as per the competition rules.
– The Indian team’s management requests organisers of the wrestling competition for a little more time to bring Vinesh’s weight down, but it is turned down.
– The Wrestling Federation of India files an appeal with United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s governing body running the show in Paris.
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls IOA chief PT Usha.
– Vinesh gets dehydrated and is hospitalised at the local Olympic hospital.
– There is an uproar in the Parliament. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya makes a statement to explain the circumstances around Vinesh’s disqualification and efforts being made to get the decision reversed.
– Vinesh knocks at the door of Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), demands a joint silver medal
– The women’s 50kg category medal rounds go ahead. Sarah wins gold for USA, Lopez gets silver.
5:17 am IST, Aug 8: Vinesh quits
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