Vinesh Phogat's first reaction after CAS dismisses medal appeal, shares match pic on Instagram

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Thursday shared her first reaction a day after her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was reportedly rejected. The appeal sought to overturn her disqualification from the women’s 50 kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics due to being overweight.

Vinesh, 29, was disqualified from the showpiece event after she was found 100 grams overweight prior to the women's 50kg event gold-medal bout against US's Sarah Hildebrandt. Following the disqualification and missing out on a medal, Vinesh shared a picture revealing her lying on the mat with her hands resting on her forehead.

In the post on Instagram, Vinesh shared a poignant image of herself on the wrestling mat in tears during one of her matches at the Paris Olympics. Accompanying the image, she included the music to the emotional soundtrack 'Rabba Ve' by B Praak.

Vinesh achieved an impressive win over Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final match, establishing her as the first Indian female wrestler to progress to the final round of an Olympic wrestling event. This significant accomplishment positioned her to potentially emulate the success of Sakshi Malik, who stands as the sole Indian female wrestler to secure an Olympic medal. Unfortunately, amidst elevated hopes and aspirations, fate did not align in Vinesh's favor, ultimately crushing her dreams of etching her name in Indian women's wrestling history at the Olympics.

On Wednesday, the ad hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Vinesh's appeal for a joint silver medal. “The application filed by Vinesh Phogat on 7 August 2024 is dismissed,” said a CAS statement signed by the Sole Arbitrator Annabelle Bennett.

In a statement, IOA President PT Usha expressed "shock and disappointment at the decision of the Sole Arbitrator at the CAS to dismiss wrestler Vinesh Phogat's application against the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)."