Vinesh Phogat Olympic Disqualification Time-Line: CAS Verdict And How A Billion Dreams Got Crushed
Vinesh Phogat's appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 for being 100 gram overweight has been rejected. The wrestler has appealed that she should be given a shared silver medal in the 50kg category because her weight was within the permissible limit, the day when she won three bouts on the trot to qualify for the final.
Vinesh was the face of a wrestlers' protest last year against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. Then she faced challenges while qualifying for the Olympics as she had to move from her regular weight category.
Here's how Paris Olympics journey unfolded for Vinesh Phogat:
February 2024
Vinesh won gold in the 55kg category at the National Championship. It marked her return to competitive wrestling after over a month.
March 2024
Vinesh competed in the first Olympic trials in two weight categories - 50kg and 53kg - on the same day. She emerged winner in 50kg to enter the Asian wrestling championships and Asian Olympic Games qualifier.
April 2024
Vinesh Phogat won Paris Olympics quota in women's 50kg category as she entered the final of the Asian Olympic qualifier. In wrestling, a quota is earned for the nation and not for the individual athlete. A final trial is supposed to take place to decide on who will represent the country at the Olympics. However, later the WFI said that they would not conduct the final trials and the wrestlers who won the quota would be sent to Paris.
August 6, 2024
Rd of 16: Vinesh stunned defending Olympic champion and four-time World Champion Yui Susaki of Japan 3-2. Susaki had not lost any of her 82 bouts in her international