In an embarrassment for India, ace female wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on Saturday from the 1st World Olympic Qualifying event in Mongolia for being overweight on a day when other women grapplers also failed to book Rio Games berth.
Vinesh weighed 400gm more than what was stipulated to be eligible for the 48kg category competition.
“Vinesh was overweight by 400 gms, so she was disqualified from the competition,” a top official in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said.
India lost out on a chance to ensure an Olympic berth in 48kg and are now left with just one more opportunity to book a ticket to the Rio Games at the last Olympic qualifier -- 2nd World Qualification tournament -- scheduled to be held at Istanbul, Turkey from May 6-8.
The official said a stern warning has been issued to the 21-year-old wrestler and her coaches.
“Vinesh and the coaches have been hauled up for costing India a chance to qualify for the Rio Games. Since she is a first time offender, she has been given a warning,” the official further added.
Apparently, Vinesh has now pleaded with the WFI for another chance and promised that she would leave no stone unturned to ensure a place in the Olympics in her weight division at the next event in Istanbul.
“Vinesh has assured us that she would give her 200 per cent in Istanbul and make sure that she qualifies for the Olympics. But if she fails there as well, she would be issued a show-cause notice after her return to India,” said the official.
Asked why WFI is not considering sending someone else for next month’s competition in Istanbul, the unnamed official explained: “Firstly, the difference between Vinesh and the next girl in line in 48kg category is huge. In fact, getting someone else’s visa done at the last moment is also not feasible. Secondly, Vinesh is already in the core group of players for the Olympics and has been training in Sofia for a long time now. She is our best bet to qualify for Rio.”
The Indian female wrestling team, which includes three Phogat sisters -- Vinesh, Babita and Geeta -- have been training in Sofia, Bulgaria since the first week of April.
Meanwhile, other women grapplers in the fray – Babita (53kg), Geeta (58kg), Anita (63kg) and Navjot Kaur (69kg) and Jyoti (75kg) – could not make it to the medal round, hence losing out on a chance to book Olympic berths.
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