“Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic Dream Crushed by 100-Gram Weight Overlimit: What Went Wrong?”

Vinesh Phogat, one of the Indian wrestler players, for whom everyone thought that she would be able to win the gold medal at the Olympics, but just before the finals, she got disqualified due to being overweight by 100 grams in the 50 kg wrestling competition. The nutritionist for the Indian wrestler explained how her weight increased by 2.7 kg at night. 

In the morning, Vinesh Phogat weighed 49.9 kg, and at night, when she weighed herself, it increased by 2.7 kg, which shocked all the members. Vinesh became the first Indian wrestler to reach the finals of the Olympics by winning the three back-to-back rounds of three minutes each. In the night, when Vinesh checked her weight, it had increased by almost 3 kg, which became impossible to understand, as when she competed the whole day, how could her weight increase? 

The wrestlers normally follow a strict diet so that they can match the criteria set by the organizers. The strict plan includes very little food and less water consumption,  excessive exercise, and adequate supplements so that the body maintains the energy and strength to play the rounds. Sometimes, this routine can lead to a gain in weight, which can be reduced by the wrestlers themselves. 

Contingent’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, explained how every team member tried their best to let Vinesh's body weight stay under the limit: "The process of weight reduction involves a calculated restriction of food and water along with sweating from exercises and saunas till the morning weigh-in. This weight cut causes weakness and energy depletion, which is counterproductive to participation," he said. They were all expecting that even if the weight increased, it would be in a very small amount, but things went wrong, and she weighed more than the limit of 50 kg.

Pardiwala explained that the nutritionist expected the weight to increase by 1.5 kg, but the actual increase was just double it. Vinesh tried all the possible ways to lose weight, but in the morning she got disqualified because of the 100-gram increase in weight. “For energy restoration, limited water and high-energy foods are given after weigh-in. Vinesh's nutritionist had calculated this to be 1.5 kg. There is sometimes also a rebound weight gain following competition," he added. Pardiwala revealed that Vinesh's post-participation weight had increased on Tuesday night, and drastic measures were taken to save the situation, but we were also unable to decrease the weight according to the limit. 

“Including cutting off her hair. However, she was not below her allowed weight of 50 kg," he said. Vinesh Phogat tried every single measure to decrease her weight, but sometimes God had some other plan, which was not this time in the Olympics. Vinesh has also announced her retirement as a player from this game.