Wrestler Vinesh Phogat announces retirement: 'Don't have any more strength'

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who missed an Olympic medal after being disqualified from the Olympics, has announced her retirement. The 29-year-old took to X to convey to the world her decision, stating "Wrestling has won, I have lost".

Addressing her mother Premlata, Vinesh wrote: "Wrestling won and I lost. My dreams are shattered. I don't have any more strength. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all. I am sorry."

Vinesh's decision comes a day after she faced a heartbreaking disqualification for being 100gm overweight ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout.

Also read: She was 2 kg overweight overnight. How Vinesh Phogat tried cutting down to make weight

Vinesh is a three-time Olympian and has won gold medals in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games. She had become the first woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category on Tuesday night.

The wrestler now pins her hope on the decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal. However, United World Wrestling (UWW) has said that the current weigh-in rule cannot be changed as of now.  "On IOA's suggestion that a wrestler's results from the day on which the athlete met the weigh-in requirements should not be disqualified, the UWW President was sympathetic. UWW will also discuss the suggestion at an appropriate platform but it could not be done retrospectively," the world body said in a statement late on Wednesday after its President Nenad Lalovic met IOA chief P T Usha.

Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semifinals, replaced her in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.