It proved to be a tale of so near and yet so far for Vinesh Phogat on a sombre Wednesday in Paris. The 29-year-old wrestler with roots in Haryana was in red-hot form and seemingly the force was with her in the women’s 50kg segment. However, hours before the summit clash against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States, Vinesh’s Olympic dreams of winning a gold fizzled out. In the acutely razor-sharp lines that distinguish weight categories especially in combat sport, India’s ace wrestler was found to be 100 grams above the stipulated 50kg at the 7.15 a.m. mandatory weigh-in before the final bout. This was heartbreak of the extreme kind for the athlete and the funereal effect rippled through an expectant nation hoping for a gold or at least a silver. Having weighed 49.90kg on Tuesday morning, Vinesh acquired a massive halo through the day, toppling defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan and eventually getting past Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semifinal. At the mixed media zone, Vinesh waved to the scribes but refrained from having a chat. The alarm bells, though, were ringing loud and clear within the Indian contingent as Vinesh and her support staff were conscious about her latest weight being 52.7kg.
The ensuing night was all about pursuing a crash course in losing extra kilos. Extreme measures such as starvation, water being ignored, frenetic exercises and induced nausea were all attempted. Even insomnia occurred and still the weighing machine did not budge on Wednesday morning. With an original body weight of around 55kg, it was extraordinary that Vinesh even attempted to compete in the 50kg bout after finding her regular 53kg category spot resting with the emerging Antim Panghal. The United World Wrestling, the sport’s governing body, is clear about the rules pertaining to body weight: if an athlete fails the weigh-in, he or she will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last. In the larger scheme, Vinesh’s charge towards the victor’s podium, even if it culminated in despair, was seen as a metaphor for a larger battle that she and other wrestlers waged against the former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The allegations of sexual harassment centred around Brij Bhushan cleaved India’s sporting heart; but an administrative system leaning on patriarchy, rebuffed the wrestlers before attempting a belated clean-up. Seen through that prism, the overwhelming angst over Vinesh’s exit is understandable. Rules are sacrosanct, and Vinesh found herself at the wrong end and her retirement announcement has left Indian sport poorer, while she still awaits the verdict of the authorities over her appeal for a joint silver medal consideration.
