Indian wrestler retires despite sacrificing her hair to qualify for Olympic final

“Wrestling won, I lost, my dreams shattered, I don’t have the strength to continue,” Fugate, 29, wrote on the X platform.

Unseeded Phogat had qualified for the final after winning three matches on Tuesday, when she became the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic wrestling final, before being disqualified from the 50kg final after she was found to be 200g overweight.

“Farewell, wrestling from 2001 to 2024,” Fugate wrote. “I will always be grateful to all of you. I’m sorry.”

For his part, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his heroine, and wrote on his account on the “X” platform: “Vineesh, you are a hero among heroes, you are the pride of India, and an inspiration to every Indian citizen. Today’s failure is painful, I wish words could express the extent of the despair I feel.”

According to the team, Foghat was 100 grams over the 50kg weight limit on the second day of competition in Paris.

“All the strict measures were taken, including cutting her hair, but she was still not underweight,” team doctor Dinshaw Pardiwala said in a statement.

After being ruled out, Fugate was taken to the hospital, where she received fluids to prevent dehydration and blood tests were performed.

All tests were normal and she is currently in good health, Bariwala said.

The Indian Wrestling Federation appealed to the International Wrestling Federation to overturn her disqualification, but its attempt failed.

Cuban Guzman Lopez qualified for the final instead of the Indian wrestler to face American Sarah Held Berrandt.

Source: “Media”