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In a heartbreaking turn of events, India's wrestling star Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from 2024 Paris Olympics on the morning of her final bout for the gold medal because she weighed around 100 grams over the permissible limit of her weight category.
"At the moment, the way the rules stand, if you're not the correct weight, you're disqualified. Being disqualified is treated the same as not appearing for the competition. These have always been the rules," Nikhil Latey, physiotherapist and sport scientist at ProPhysio, tells FIT.
But why do wrestlers cut it so close during competitions? How does the weight-cutting process work, and what does it do to the athlete's body?
FIT speaks to experts to break it down.
Why Do Wrestlers Gain and Lose Weight Rapidly?
Whether it's boxing, wrestling or MMA (mixed martial arts), Latey says, "It's better to be slightly on the higher side of the weight category than under because this can translate into a huge advantage.
This is especially true at an elite competition level where athletes are competing with the best of the best.
"In wrestling (higher weight) gives you more muscle mass and power, and so you have a competitive edge. This is why most athletes who compete in weight-based sports usually have a walk-around weight which is a couple of kilos heavier than the limit of the weight category they are competing in, and they start losing weight a few days before the actual weigh-in," explains Latey, who worked with boxer Mary Kom during the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics.
Essentially, the weight category that an athlete competes within is typically the lower limit of their body weight that they can reach quickly without losing much muscle.
Won't this weaken the athlete when it's go time?
"This does cause a bit of weakness. And for someone who has very low body fat percentage (less than 2 percent body fat), it can mean loss of muscle mass which can definitely affect their performance," explains Dr Ajay Agarwal, Senior Director - Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida.
The thought process is that the tactical advantage outweighs the risks and the muscle loss you experience.
"This is how it's always been. It's the same rule for everyone so it's not an unfair rule. The rule is there to ensure fair play. If they weren't weighing the players before each match, that would be a travesty. Even a couple of kilos makes a huge difference at the higher competitions."Nikhil Latey
'It's an Incredibly Hard Process'
To ensure they are within the admissable limit for their weight category, wrestlers and boxers start reducing their weight in the last few days running up to the competition. "They do this by reducing their food intake, especially carbohydrates, reducing their water intake, and increasing exercise," says Dr Agarwal.
"This is an incredibly hard and intensive process, but its also a natural part of their sport," adds Latey.
Speaking to the press, former wrestler and Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik had called it "harder than the matches itself".
There is typically a gap of 5 to 24 hours between the weigh-in and the actual match.”
"During this time athletes usually eat more, drink water and rest to recover from the process. So that by the time you compete, you're almost back to the weight you were when you training."Nikhil Latey
But the process doesn't end there. After competing and before the next match, the athlete again tries to reduce the weight. They repeat this cycle – eat, fight, reduce weight – every day for all the matches (usually across five days).
According to Latey, dehydration or losing water weight is the only way to drop kilos that fast in a short period of time between matches.
They wear many layers of clothes to trap the heat, sit in sauna baths for hours, and do cardio like jogging and skipping to induce sweating.
"In Vinesh's case, she was able to cut the weight down to the permissible limit comfortably over the course of the two weeks leading up to her event, but she gained a little more weight on the day of her first fight. There was likely some miscalculation and the cutting process didn't happen as smoothly as expected."Nikhil Latey
"You can only dehydrate yourself so much at once. It was a touch and go," he adds.
How Does It Impact One's Health?
Dehydrating yourself to lose weight can have immediate effects on the sportsperson's performance. It can also potentially lead to more serious long-term health issues. "It can lead to chronic fatigue, kidney dysfunction, and even hormonal imbalance later," says Dr Agarwal.
According to the experts FIT spoke to, the practice affects your health in the long term depending on how often you do it and for how many years.
Doing something like this over and over again can also affect your body metabolism in the long run, making it even harder to lose weight.
"When you lose weight drastically in a short period of time, your body automatically tries to bounce back to its natural weight by decreasing your metabolic rate and increasing the secretion of certain hormones. This can also lead to metabolic and even cardiac diseases and diabetes in the future."Dr Ajay Agarwal, Senior Director - Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida
When you're young, you're able to do it much easier because your body recovers really well. Gradually it becomes more difficult to reduce weight. "After the age of 25 your body takes a little longer to recover and to bounce back. This is why the shelf life of wrestlers and boxers is so short. It's not sustainable," says Latey.
According to Latey, the safer approach as you age is to move up to a higher weight category. However, other technical factors may prevent you from making that change.
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