• Source:JND
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Vinesh Phogat faced disqualification from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday hours before her final match in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling event due to being overweight by 150 grams. In a desperate bid to qualify, Vinesh Phogat and her team undertook extreme measures to reduce her weight but all efforts failed to reduce her weight below 50 kg.

The 29-year-old wrestler had passed the initial weigh-in on Tuesday morning but was found to be 2 kg overweight later that night. To counter this, Vinesh Phogat's coaches employed rigorous methods to shed the excess weight. 

According to reports, Vinesh Phogat's coaches didn’t let her sleep, eat and drink water for over 12 hours, while she engaged in continuous jogging, skipping and cycling. When these efforts proved insufficient, they resorted to cutting her hair and attempting to draw blood, The Sportstar reported. However, these drastic measures did not yield the desired results.

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The intense weight-loss regime left Phogat weak, dehydrated and ultimately led to her fainting and being taken to a medical centre inside the Olympic village. Despite becoming the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for an Olympic final, Vinesh Phogat's hopes were dashed as she failed the crucial weigh-in just hours before the gold medal match against USA's Sarah Hildebrandt.

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Vinesh Phogat's victories on Tuesday were rendered null and void, stripping her of any rank in the event. The Indian Olympic Association released a statement expressing their regret over the incident and requested privacy for Phogat as the team continues to focus on the ongoing competitions.

Vinesh Phogat has struggled with maintaining weight for the 50 kg category, having previously competed in the 53 kg class. She typically weighs around 55-56 kg, making it challenging to reduce to 50 kg for competitions. The transition to the lower weight class was made during trials in NIS, Patiala, but managing such a significant weight cut proved exceedingly difficult for the wrestler.