Vinesh Phogat disqualification sparks 'big conspiracy against India' theory: 'Never seen this before for any athlete'
Vijender Singh felt that Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from Paris Olympics final, was a victim of a ‘big conspiracy against India’
Veteran Indian boxer Vijender Singh, 2008 Beijing Olympic medallist, lashed out after Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 2024 Paris Olympics ahead of her women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final on Wednesday. Vinesh was found overweight during the weigh-in on the morning of the gold-medal bout against Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States of America (USA)
Vinesh stood on the verge of history after a spectacular run on Tuesday, where she took down defending champion and world no. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan in the opener, en route to becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at an Olympics edition. She was assured of a medal, which could have been India's fourth in the Paris Olympics, and first outside shooting.
Following this heartbreaking development, Vijender insisted that Vinesh was a victim of a ‘big conspiracy against India’ and that she should have had some more time to shed those 100 grams of extra weight.
“It’s a huge conspiracy against India and Indian wrestlers. The way she has performed is worth appreciating. Maybe some people couldn’t digest the happiness. We can reduce five to six kgs in one night, so what’s the problem with 100 grams. I feel that someone had some problems and so the step to disqualify was taken. She should have got a chance to reduce the 100 grams,” Vijender told India Today. “Having participated in the Olympics, I have never seen anything like this."
Vijender, who 16 years back became the first Indian boxer to win a medal at the Games, explained how athletes keep their focus on recovery and weight control rather than food intake after every bout.
“We do not need carbohydrates and protein, we need recovery at first. We know that he have a bout tomorrow. So, weight control is the first on our priority list. We go to our physio because our body is tired and we can control our hunger. But we focus more on our recovery, not our food intake,” Vijender added.
According to article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules, Vinesh will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against her in the semi-final and hence Guzman Lopez Yusneylis will compete in the final against Hilderbrandt. Repechage Susaki Yui versus Livach Oksana will become a bronze medal match.