Paris (France): India's ace grappler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the women's 50kg wrestling final of the Paris Olympics 2024 for weighing 100 gram more than permissible limit, had a chat with the Indian coaches on Wednesday.
The women's national coach, Virender Dahiya, and Manjeet Rani met with the feisty wrestler who caused a stir at the wrestling arena by defeating the world number one and defending champion, Yui Susaki, in the opening round on Tuesday. As the nation prepared to celebrate Vinesh's medal-winning run, as she was assured of at least a silver, Vinesh was disqualified when she could not pass the second weigh-in.
"It sent a shockwave through the wrestling contingent. The girls were feeling pretty low after the news broke. We met Vinesh and tried to console her. She was brave. She told us, 'it's hard luck that we missed the medal, but it is part of the game'," Dahiya said, sharing the details of their meeting. "Several IOA officials were also there to meet her."
There was more bad news for Indian wrestling as Antim Panghal suffered a first-round defeat in the women's 53kg category, losing her opening bout due to technical superiority. "She just could not play her game, did not look in her element," said the coach. (With PTI Inputs)
