Vinesh weighed 100 grams over 50kg at the official weigh-in on the day of the final.
Here are ten things to know:
1. Vinesh will now finish last in the final standings for the women’s 50kg event.
2. Vinesh won’t be awarded any medal.
3. The scheduled final will not take place and Vinesh’s opponent, Sarah Hildebrandt of USA, will be awarded the gold medal.
4. The bronze medals will be awarded as usual, which is decided by two separate bouts between a losing semifinalist and the wrestler coming through the repechage rounds
5. Vinesh was reportedly two kilos overweight the night before her final and worked out the entire night in hope of shedding weight.
6. Reports also suggest that the Indian authorities in Paris requested the organisers to allow Vinesh some more time to shed the extra 100 gm, but were not entertained.
7. Also reported is that Vinesh cut some of her hair and had blood drawn before the weigh-in on Wednesday in order to bring her weight to under 50kg.
8. A few months before the Olympics, Vinesh had to change her weight category from 53kg to 50kg, as Antim Panghal got the Wrestling Federation of India’s nod to contest in the 53kg category in Paris.
9. On her way to the final, Vinesh had stunned Japan’s Yui Susaki, who was defending her Tokyo Olympics gold and had never lost in 82 career international outings before her match against the Indian.
10. Reacting to the development, PM Narendra Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter) to show his support for Vinesh. “Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing,” the PM wrote.
