100 grams is all it took for India to lose a historic Olympic medal and one of its finest wrestlers. A broken, tired and devastated Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a day after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024. The heartwrenching decision came on Wednesday morning, hours before Vinesh was about to become the first Indian female wrestler to compete for an Olympic gold.

In the weigh-in process on Thursday morning, Vinesh was found 100gm overweight. No pleading and prodding from Vinesh's coaches, the IOA officials, were enough to overturn the disqualification decision. From being one step away from being India's first female athlete to win an Olympic gold, Vinesh was brought down to the bottom of the pile; she would return empty-handed.

Vinesh did appeal for a joint silver medal in the women's 50kg at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, which is likely to announce an interim verdict by Thursday, but the disappointment was too much to handle.

Addressing her mother, Vinesh said, wrestling won but she lost. "Mother, wrestling won against me, I lost... Your dreams and my courage are shattered. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive (me)," she wrote on X.

As India woke up to the shocking news of Vinesh Phogat's retirement on Thursday morning, the wrestling fraternity joined in lauding the 29-year-old Indian.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia said Vinesh did not lose but was defeated.

"Vinesh, you did not lose but yet you have been defeated. For us, you will always be a winner and along with being India’s daughter you are India’s pride as well,” he said in a post in Hindi.

Sakshi Malik, the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympics medal — a bronze at 2016 Rio de Janeiro — said all that has transpired with Vinesh is a "defeat of every daughter of our country".

“Vinesh you were not the one who lost. It's the defeat of every daughter of our country for whom you fought,” Sakshi wrote on 'X'.

"This is a defeat for entire country. The country is with you. As an athlete I salute your struggle and passion," she said.

Dronacharya Awardee coach Mahavir Phogat said she might have taken the decision in the heat of the moment and people close to the wrestler would encourage her to aim for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"It is true, people lose heart. When she will come, we (I, Bajrang, Gita) will all sit and talk. We will take a decision and convey it. In the heat of the moment, people take such decisions but after some time, we will decide on it,” Mahavir told PTI Videos.

"We will encourage her to play 2028 Olympics. I thank (the) Haryana govt for announcing the reward. As long as I am active, I will be helping the athletes," he said.

Former sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore called the turn of events as "sad and heart breaking" and expressed solidarity with the ace wrestler.

"A sportsman life has years of struggle, ups and downs, then that important day comes to show the skills and win the game, then if this kind of mistake happens, then it is sad and heart breaking," said former shooter Rathore, who had won a silver medal in Athens Olympics in 2004.

"But I want to say to Vinesh (Phogat) that she is young and should face this challenge and move ahead with a lot of positivity. She should face it. We are all with her, a champion is the who stands after falling."Geeta Phogat, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, said it was "very sad" to see the way Vinesh retired from the sport.

"Sister Vinesh, we will always be we will always be indebted to you for what you have done for the country. Your passion and struggle will be remembered for centuries,” she wrote on 'X'.

"You are a role model for all girls. You saying goodbye to wrestling like this is very sad for the whole family and the whole country."

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