It was the year 2018, Asian Games were being held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Vinesh Phogat was still participating in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling event. Before the first bout in the Jakarta Asian Games, Vinesh’s weight had increased by 3.5 kg. Exactly the same thing happened to him during the final match of Paris Olympics. But then her then coach switched off the AC, covered her with a blanket and made her run inside the wrestling hall, as a result Vinesh won the gold medal.
This is not the first time that weight gain has become a problem for Vinesh Phogat, something similar had happened to her 6 years ago i.e. during the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018. Vinesh had gained weight during the Jakarta Asian Games. Just a day before Vinesh’s first bout, her weight had increased to about three and a half kilos.
As soon as his then coach Kuldeep Malik came to know about this information, he got worried and wondered how to lose so much weight. When these games were going on in Jakarta, the heat was not so much that they could be made to run, so that it would cause sweating and affect the weight.
Then coach Kuldeep Malik asked the organizers of the Jakarta Asian Games to switch off the AC of the wrestling hall. Malik covered Vinesh with a blanket and walked around for several hours in a closed hall, after which Vinesh’s weight came under control and she later won the gold medal in this category. If her weight had not been controlled during the first bout itself, perhaps Vinesh would not have got another medal in her name.
However, Vinesh has decided to retire from wrestling after being proved ineligible in the Paris Olympics. He announced this in an emotional post. Vinesh wrote in her post – Mother, wrestling won from me, I lost, sorry, your dream, my courage is all broken, I have no more strength than this. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. She apologized and said that she will always be indebted to you all.
Mother, she won the wrestling match with me, I lost, sorry, your dream, my courage is all broken, I don’t have any more strength than this.
Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024 🙏
I will always be indebted to you all, sorry.
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 7, 2024
This title and medal is in the name of Vinesh Phogat
29 year old Vinesh Phogat first won a medal at the junior level in 2013 i.e. at the age of 18. He has also won a hat-trick of medals in Commonwealth.
world championship
Bronze Medal – 2022 Belgrade-53kg
Bronze Medal – 2019 Nur-Sultan 53 kg
asian games
Gold Medal- 2018 Jakarta-50 kg
Bronze Medal- 2014 Incheon- 48 kg
commonwealth games
Gold Medal – 2014 Glasgow – 48 kg
Gold Medal – 2018 Gold Coast-50kg
Gold Medal – 2022 Birmingham-53 kg
Asian Championship
Gold Medal – 2021 Almaty – 53 kg
Silver Medal – 2015 Doha – 48 kg
Silver Medal – 2017 New Delhi – 55 kg
Silver Medal – 2018 Bishkek-50kg
Bronze Medal – 2013 New Delhi – 51 kg
Bronze Medal – 2016 Bangkok – 53 kg
Bronze Medal – 2019 Xi’an -53 kg
Bronze Medal – 2020 New Delhi – 53 kg
Youth Wrestling Championship
Silver Medal – 2013 Johannesburg – 51 kg
If Vinesh had not proved ineligible…
If star wrestler Vinesh Phogat had not been proved ineligible, she would have faced a wrestler from America. In such a situation, after Phogat reached the final, it was believed that she would win the gold medal. Vinesh had defeated Cuban wrestler Yusneylys Guzman 5-0 in the semi-finals of the women’s 50 kg freestyle event on Tuesday. Vinesh’s final was to be held on Wednesday (7th August) against Ann Sara Hildebrandt of USA. Earlier, she had defeated Olympic champion and four-time world champion Yui Susaki in 50 kg in the pre-quarterfinals.
When you achieve something which way above any medal 🥇
That’s what you have achieved my friend @Phogat_Vinesh .
So proud of you.
Let’s give her such a warm welcome that every athlete in this country irrespective of any win or lose can proudly say ”THATS MY INDIA 🇮🇳 “ pic.twitter.com/uWAIjKHg6R— sona sood (@SonuSood) August 7, 2024
Vinesh’s attempts to lose weight failed
Vinesh’s weight was 52 kg on Tuesday night (6 August), she tried to reduce her weight by cycling, skipping etc., but she could not succeed. Gagan Narang, Dinshaw Pardiwala, her husband, physio, medical staff, IOA officials, people present in India and OGQ (Olympic Gold Quiz) worked through the night to reduce her weight.
Dr. Pardiwala even said that we cannot put his life in danger. This information has also come to light in media reports that he tried everything possible. Vinesh was groaning in pain as her body was breaking down, so as a last ditch effort she went to the sauna. After this, his health deteriorated, due to which he was admitted to the Olympic Village Polyclinic in Paris. She had reached the finals of 50 kg wrestling. On the second day of the event, Vinesh’s weight was found to be 100 grams more in the 50 kg category.