Vinesh Phogat in her first reaction since her unfortunate disqualification ahead of the gold medal bout told her coaches that "it is part of the game". (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)
Earlier on Wednesday, Vinesh was disqualified ahead of the final as she weighed 100 grams more than the permissible 50 kg during the weigh-in. It meant that she would not compete in the gold medal match as well as would be placed last in the category in which she was competing.
In a race against time to cut her weight, Vinesh ended up in the clinic at the Games village. Women's national coach Virender Dahiya and Manjeet Rani met the feisty wrestler at the clinic where Vinesh shared her first reaction to the unfortunate disqualification.
"It sent a shockwave through the wrestling contingent. The girls were feeling pretty low after the news broke. We met Vinesh and tried to console her. She was brave. She told us, 'it's hard luck that we missed the medal, but it is part of the game'," Dahiya said, sharing the details of their meeting.
"Several IOA officials were also there to meet her," said Dahiya.
Vinesh on Tuesday had become the first women wrestler to qualify for an Olympic final and was on the verge of becoming the first Indian wrestler to win an Olympic gold. However, her dreams and with that the dreams of all of Indian sports fans were shattered as she failed to make the mark during the weigh-in.
Earlier on Tuesday, Vinesh blended exceptional skill and power with brilliant tactical acumen to win three back-to-back matches. In her first bout, Vinesh shocked defending Olympic champion Japan's Yui Susaki, who was yet to lose a fight in her 82-match international career. Susaki's defeat sent shockwaves across wrestling world and put Vinesh on the road to the gold medal. She then defeated two more rivals to get into the final.
