‘Goodbye wrestling’ Vinesh Phogat retires following Paris 2024 Olympics heartbreak

On the back of her heartbreaking exit from the Paris 2024 Olympics wrestling competition, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from the sport on Thursday.

At Paris 2024, Vinesh Phogat reached the final of the women’s 50kg weight category on Tuesday after defeating defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine and reigning Pan American Games champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba.

Set to become the first Indian woman to compete in a wrestling final at the Olympics, Vinesh’s dream, however, was cut short after she failed to make the weight on the morning of the gold medal bout against the USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt.

Despite taking some drastic measures to cut down her weight, Vinesh was found marginally overweight at the mandatory weigh-in and was disqualified.

In the aftermath, Vinesh had to be taken to a polyclinic at the Olympic Village owing to dehydration caused by the lack of food and fluids, which she restricted in order to cut weight.

A dejected Vinesh, who will turn 30 later this month, took to social media to announce that she’s hanging up her wrestling boots for good now.

"Mother, wrestling won against me, I lost. Your dreams and my courage are broken. I don't have the strength to go on anymore. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive me," Vinesh wrote, addressing her mother Premlata.

Vinesh walks into the sunset as one of the most decorated Indian wrestlers in history. The three-time Olympian is a two-time World Championships bronze medallist, a three-time Commonwealth Games champion and gold medallist at the Asian Games and Asian Championships.

Following Vinesh’s disqualification, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who Vinesh beat in the semi-finals, replaced the Indian wrestler in the final against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt but lost. The American grappler won the 50kg title.