Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat gave her first reaction after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) dismissed her appeal against the disqualification from the gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics 2024.
India and Vinesh Phogat suffered another setback as the CAS dismissed her petition for the joint-silver medal following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics after she was found to be weighed over 100 grams than the permissible limit of 50kg, her category in women's wrestling.
Phogat appealed to the tribunal court for sports for the silver medal after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) filed the complaint the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against her disqualification from the final against Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) reserved the verdict on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification on August 16 after delaying it thrice, but the body announced the judgement on Wednesday, stating that her appeal has been dismissed by the panel.
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Reacting to CAS dismissing the petition for the joint silver medal, Vinesh Phogat took to her Instagram handle and posted the picture herself lying down on the mat as a way of expressing her disappointment over the decision.
Vinesh Phogat was assured of silver medal after defeating Yusneylys Guzman of Cuba in the semifinal. However, after three bouts, Phogat's weight increased to 52kg, 2 kg more than her weight category of 50kg. In order to shed those kilos and be eligible for the gold medal bout, Phogat didn't sleep the entire night as she was training, running, jogging, cycling and only relied on water.
On Wednesday morning, Phogat was found to be over 10 grams than her permissible limit and thus, she was disqualification. Following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat suffered dehydration and the medical team immediately rushed her to the nearby hospital.
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What's next for Vinesh Phogat?
With CAS dismissing her appeal for the joint silver medal, Vinesh Phogat will now have to return with the empty handed. The disqualification resulted in dashing the 29-year-old wrestler's hopes to winning her maiden Olympic medal.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha expressed shock over the CAS decision in dismissing Phogat's appeal for the silver medal despite disqualification from the gold medal match at Paris Olympics.
"Shock and disappointment at the decision of the Sole Arbitrator at the CAS to dismiss wrestler Vinesh Phogat's application against the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)." Usha said in a statement released by IOA.
Vinesh Phogat is currently in Paris and is expected to reach India on August 17, Saturday.
