In a big blow to India’s medal hopes from the wrestling arena, grappler Vinesh Phogat on Wednesday was disqualified from the 50kg women’s wrestling event. Vinesh was scheduled to take on United States’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the Gold Medal watch.
A statement issued by the Indian Olympic contingent said that Phogat had tipped the scales above the 50kg mark and was disqualified.
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand,” the statement read.
Vinesh Phogat had entered the Gold Medal bout after beating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, India can continue to hope for medals from the athletics arena. Athlete Avinash Sable will be taking part in the 3,000 metre Steeplechase final on Thursday which will start at 1.13am Indian Standard Time (IST).
Earlier, Sable stormed into the final of the men’s 3,000m steeplechase after finishing fifth at the Stade de France. He finished in the fifth spot by clocking 8:15.43s behind Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouft (8:10.62s), Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu (8:11.61s), Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot (8:12.02s) and Japan’s Ryuji Miura (8:12.41s).
Mirabai Chanu will also be in action tonight where she will be seen competing in the Women’s 49kg category in weightlifting.
Wrestler Antim Panghal will play her Round of 16 bout in the Women’s Freestyle 53kg category later on Wednesday. India has won 3 medals so far at the Paris Olympics, all from the shooting competition.