The anticipation surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has grown even further as the verdict announcement has been delayed once again. Originally scheduled for August 14 at 9:30 PM IST, the decision has now been postponed to August 16.
This marks the third time that the announcement has been pushed back, adding to the tension for Vinesh and the rest of the country. The CAS was expected to deliver its verdict on Saturday after hearing arguments on Friday, but it extended the deadline to Tuesday, and now, the wait continues.
Vinesh Phogat captured the world’s attention with her incredible performance at the Paris Olympics. She started her journey by facing off against Japan’s Yusi Susaki, the then-defending champion and world number one in women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling. In a dramatic turn of events, Vinesh was trailing 0-2 with less than 40 seconds remaining when she managed to secure a stunning 3-2 victory.
This victory was particularly significant as it came just a year after Vinesh had been protesting against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh in New Delhi. Vinesh’s triumph over Susaki was followed by a quarter-final win against Ukraine’s Oksana Liyach and a dominant semi-final victory over Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman, making her the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final.
However, Vinesh’s dream run was halted when she was disqualified from the gold-medal match against Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States. The disqualification came after Vinesh was found to be 100 grams over the prescribed weight limit during the morning weigh-in on the day of the final.
The weight gain was attributed to the intense efforts she had made to cut down three kilos during her three bouts on Tuesday. Dehydrated and exhausted, Vinesh lost consciousness and had to be admitted to a polyclinic inside the Games village.
Following her recovery, Vinesh appealed to the CAS, requesting that she be awarded a joint silver medal alongside Guzman Lopez, who took her place in the final. The CAS has been considering her appeal, and if the verdict is in Vinesh’s favor, it would raise India’s medal tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics to seven. Vinesh Phogat is a celebrated athlete with two World Championship bronze medals, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, and multiple medals in the Asian Games and Asian Championships.
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