Olympic triumph to torment for Indian wrestler who led anti-sexual harassment protests

CNN —

An Olympic story of hope and perseverance quickly turned to one of heartbreak after an Indian wrestler known for her role in anti-sexual harassment protests was disqualified from the gold medal match of the women’s 50kg freestyle category.

Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic wrestling final, did not make the weight required to compete Wednesday morning, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said.

“Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning,” the IOA said in a statement posted to X.

Competition rules say wrestlers must stay in their weight category on both days of the tournament. After Phogat’s disqualification, only the gold and bronze medals will be awarded in this event.

United World Wrestling, the sport’s international governing body, has yet to comment, Reuters reported.

A little over a year ago, Phogat was sleeping on the streets of New Delhi as part of an athlete-led protest calling out sexual harassment allegations within her sport.

Before the latest cruel twist of fate, she had appeared guaranteed to come away from the Paris Olympics with either a gold or silver medal in a remarkable tale of overcoming adversity.

Phogat, a three-time Olympian who comes from a prominent Indian wrestling family, was set to face Team USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt in Wednesday’s final.

Her journey had included one of the most stunning upsets of the Games so far when she beat reigning Olympic gold medalist Yui Susaki in a dramatic first-round bout.

Sasaki, who was widely touted as the best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestler in the world, had never lost a fight at the senior level and during the last Olympics in Tokyo did not even drop a