Olympic wrestler has been disqualified from final despite cutting off her hair

When it comes to major sports competitions like the Olympics, athletes must follow a long list of rules.

And already this year during the 2024 Paris Olympics, many have been broken.

For instance, Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira and her partner, fellow swimmer Gabriel Santos, were disqualified after officials discovered they had snuck out of the Olympic Village without permission.

And Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso was removed from the athletes’ accommodation for creating an ‘inappropriate environment.’

Then, there are the rules for each individual sport, with technicalities such as false starts and passing pace-setters causing heartbreak for athletes every tournament.

The 2024 Paris Olympics has seen plenty of heartbreak amongst athletes. (Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

Now, one competitor in the women’s wrestling event has had her hopes for cinching a medal crushed after being disqualified over her weight.

At Paris 2024, each weight category is organised over two competition days.

During the morning of the first competition day, athletes undergo medical control tests and a weigh-in to make sure they are eligible to compete.

On the second competition day, wrestlers who have qualified for the finals and repechage repeat these tests.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was eligible to compete on the opening day of the 50kg weight class, but on Tuesday morning (6 August), she found herself two kilograms over the limit.

Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic dreams were crushed when she failed to meet her weight class on the second day of competition. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

So, she spent the entire night doing whatever she could to cut the extra pounds, including everything from exercising and limiting her food intake, to even cutting off her hair.

“Overnight we went ahead with the weight cut procedure,” said Dr Dinshaw Paudiwala – the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian contingent.

But, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

“Despite all efforts, we found Vinesh’s weight was 100 grams over her 50kg weight category,” they added.

She did everything she could to drop the pounds in time for the final weigh-in. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“We tried all possible drastic measures including cutting her hair and shortening her clothes. Despite this, we could not make that 50kg weight category.”

The wrestler did not eat or drink for more than 12 hours and wasn’t even allowed to sleep to increase her stress while she relentlessly skipped, jogged and cycled.

As a result of the drastic measures, Phogat was eventually left incredibly weak and was hospitalised for dehydration soon after it was announced that she’d been disqualified, the Times of India reports.

The outlet states that Phogat is recuperating in the polyclinic of the Olympic Village and is resting.

Phogat’s disqualification from the Games resulted in a domino effect in the upcoming matches in the 50kg category, with the previously defeated Cuban athlete Yusneylis Guzman Lopez now in the final against American Sarah Hildebrandt.