Vinesh Phogat has Announced Retirement, Following her Tragic Disqualification from the Olympics

Vinesh Phogat, an Indian wrestler, has declared her retirement following her heartbreaking disqualification from the Olympics, citing a lack of strength to continue.

The 29-year-old, who was penalized for being 100gm overweight before her gold medal match in the 50kg division on Wednesday, announced her decision on X.

Vinesh wrote to her mother Premlata, "Ma, wrestling has won, and I have lost." Please forgive me, your hopes, and my courage; everything is broken."I have no more strength left. 2001-2024: goodbye to wrestling. I will be grateful to you all. "Forgive me," said the two-time world championship bronze medalist.

On Wednesday, Vinesh filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) challenging her dismissal from the Olympic finals and requesting a joint silver medal.

She spent much of the day at a polyclinic inside the Games village due to extreme dehydration caused by her frantic attempts to make the cut, which included going hungry, avoiding water, and staying up all night to sweat it out.

Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, a Cuban wrestler who had lost to Vinesh in the quarterfinals, replaced her in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.

Hidebrandt won the match to earn gold, and Vinesh now expects CAS to share silver medals with Lopez.

Explained: How Vinesh Phogat's weigh-in disqualification derailed her historic Olympic gold pursuit

However, the sport's international governing organization, United World Wrestling (UWW), has made it plain that the present weigh-in regulation cannot be amended at this time.

"The UWW President agreed with the IOA's advice that a wrestler's results from the day the athlete completed the weigh-in standards should not be invalidated.

"UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform, but it could not be done retrospectively," the international body said in a statement late on Wednesday, following a meeting with IOA chairman P T Usha.

Vinesh made history on Tuesday night by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal in her division. She was guaranteed at least a silver medal before being disqualified. Vinesh is a three-time Olympian who has won gold medals in the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

India's CMO discloses extraordinary efforts to preserve Vinesh Phogat from disqualification, including cutting her hair.