New Delhi: Former Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh expressed disappointment on Wednesday morning when Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg gold medal match at the Olympics in Paris due to a weight that was a few grams over the allowed limits.
“What has happened with Vinesh is very disheartening and disappointing for us. It was an assured gold medal for us, but rules are rules. We can’t do anything about that. I think when a player comes so close to a medal match, the organisers should take extra time to give a verdict,” Harbhajan told IANS.
“Still, what Vinesh has done is quite inspiring. Beating world champion and Tokyo gold medalist is not easy, yet she has done that. So I wish all the luck to Vinesh, and I am really proud of her,” Harbhajan added.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) addressed Vinesh’s withdrawal from the Games due to her overweight and urged everyone to respect the grappler’s privacy. Vinseh will finish last in the tournament after being eliminated from the contest.
Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh Phogat in the semifinals, replaced her in the Olympic final of the 50kg category.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to PT Usha, the head of IOA after Vinesh was disqualified to find out what options India has in the wake of his defeat. To support the grappler’s case, he also asked the IOA chief to look into every avenue possible and urged PT Usha to strongly object to the wrestler’s disqualification.
After defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman 5-0 in the semifinal, Vinesh made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to go to the Olympic final. Then, in her second round of the day, Vinesh defeated Oksana Vasylivna Livach of Ukraine 7–5, moving on to her first-ever semifinals.
She began her campaign by dominating the world’s top-ranked wrestler, Yui Susaki. Susaki is a four-time world champion from Japan and a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics. Throughout her career, Susaki has never lost an international match.
She was scheduled to compete against Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA in an attempt to win a historic gold medal.
–IANS
