On Wednesday, Dinshaw Pardiwala, the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Olympic team, discussed the extreme steps taken to manage Vinesh Phogat's weight, including cutting her hair. He revealed that the team spent the entire night attempting to bring her weight down, and with a few extra hours, they might have reached the target weight category.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50 kg women's wrestling event due to exceeding the weight limit. She was set to face Sarah Ann Hildebrandt from the United States in the gold medal match. Pardiwala informed reporters that after her semi-final bout, Phogat had gained an additional 2.7 kg. He confirmed that measures to reduce her weight included restricting her food and water intake.
Pardiwala explained that the team had only 12 hours to act and resorted to various methods including steam, sauna, and exercise to reduce her weight. When these efforts were exhausted, drastic measures such as cutting her hair were employed. After her disqualification, Phogat was rehydrated using intravenous fluids and is now medically stable.
Phogat secured her place in the gold medal match by defeating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, India's medal prospects continue in other events, with Avinash Sable competing in the 3000 Metre Steeplechase final and Mirabai Chanu in the Women's 49 KG weightlifting category.
