• Source:JND
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Paris Olympics 2024: Soon after the disqualification of India's star wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the women’s 50kg event after being found overweight hours before her gold-medal bout against American Sarah Hildebrand, her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat asked citizens of the country not to despair and asserted that she will bring a medal for the nation. 

"I have nothing to say. The entire country has expected Gold... Rules are there but if a wrestler is 50-100 grams overweight they are usually allowed to play. I will ask the people of the country not to despair, one day she will bring a medal for sure... I'll prepare her for the next Olympics,” Mahavir told news agency ANI. 

In a statement, the Indian Olympic contingent said that Phogat had tipped the scales above the 50 kg 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 50 kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50 kg 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 on Tuesday night after defeating Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba 5-0 in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) and expressed anguish at Phogat’s disqualification from the ongoing Paris Olympics and described her as the epitome of resilience, encouraging her to bounce back stronger.

“Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you,” PM Modi said.