Redefining A HERQ

Vinesh Phogat - the ace Indian wrestler who has captured world attention with her historic stint at the wrestling arena in the Paris Olympics honour and glory aren't in medals if the playing field isn't level goes on to prove that

The girl who had her hair cut off, adjusted her wrestling singlet, ran and skipped overnight in an attempt to lower her weight, was disqualified hours before her gold medal match for exceeding the 50 kg restriction by the weight of a medium-sized banana (100 grams).

Vinesh Phogat, who had reduced Japanese journalists to tears by defeating the top seed Yui Susaki in the opening round of the competition last Wednesday, has a huge reputation in India and is one of the country’s marquee athletes.

The disqualification of Phogat has caused an uproar not only in India but across the global wrestling community. Jordan Burroughs, a six-time World Championship gold medalist and a gold medalist at the London 2012 Olympics, voiced his support for Phogat on social media platform X. Burroughs slammed the current regulations of United World Wrestling (UWW) and called for changes that could prevent such situations in the future.

“Maybe stories like this will wake up the IOC. Wrestling needs MORE than six weight classes! After three tough matches against world-class opponents, no athlete should have to spend the night preparing for a gold medal in this manner. Absolute desperation from the Indian team trying to get the last bit of weight off of Vinesh to qualify for today’s final,” Burroughs wrote.

A three-time Olympian who made her debut at the Games in Rio 2016, 29-year-old Phogat comes from one of India’s most renowned wrestling families.

Phogat has won three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two World Championships bronze medals and one Asian Games gold medal. She is also an activist who has taken a brave stance against sexual harassment in her sport.