In a major setback, Vinesh Phogat, Indias prominent free style wrestler faced another betrayal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected her plea to be awarded a silver medal following her disqualification the Paris Olympics in the Womens 50 Kg finals.  

The Courts decision not only shattered her dreams but also brought a wave of emotional heartbreak and legal repercussions within the Indian sports Community. 

The CAS rejected her plea and released a statement on Wednesday, which read, The application fielded by Vinesh Phogat on August 7 has been dismissed. 

Vinesh Phogats disqualification 

Notably, last week at the Paris Olympics Womens 50kg finals, Vinesh Phogat was found 100 grams overweight, which eventually exceeded the limit for her eligibility at the competition. She was disqualified before her face off with Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the sake of gold medal.

Vinesh announces retirement from Wrestling 

On August 8, the wrestler even penned down an emotional note about her decision to retire from wrestling. “Maa kushti (wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness,” she noted in her post. 

Wrestling Champion, Vinesh Phogat 

The three-times Commonwealth Games gold medalist, beat the Ukrainian former World Championship bronze medalist Oksana Livach in the quarterfinal and then Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman in the semi-final to become the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic final in wrestling.  

Vinesh Phogats heart wrenching post  

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-sNPYING3M/?igsh=MXh0OGxsOGRxM3E3eg==

On Independence Day, August 15^th, 2024, the day that marks the 78^th years of Indias independence from the British colonization, Vinesh shared a heart-wrenching post on her official Instagram handle. While she didn’t use any words in the caption, she posted a picture of herself laying on the wrestling ring, with a song “Rabba Ve” by B Praak, with lyrics noting, “Meri Baari Te Lagde, Tu Rabba Sutta Hi Reh Gaya.  

The lyrics translate to, when it was my turn, God you kept sleeping, a phrase she used to describe her despair from the Olympics 2024. While the people in the comment section were seen encouraging her, by quoting, Always Champion for us and Our Champion, in the comment section.  

Additionally, Vinesh weighed 2.7 kgs above the eligibility limit after her bouts on Day 1, However, after going through an extensive routine she was able to lose the extra kilos to compete in the Womens 50 kgs Wrestling. On the final day, she was 100 grams overweight, which led to her disqualification to compete in the match.