American wrestler Sarah Ann Hildebrandt has opened up on Indian grappler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Women’s 50kg event at Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight, and was replaced by Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the bronze medal match. Hildebrandt defeated Guzman Lopez in the final to claim the gold medal in Women’s 50kg event. Hildebrandt, also a bronze medallist from the Tokyo Olympic games, recalled the confusion that she experienced during the weigh-in, saying that she initially though Vinesh had forfeited.
“I prepared for chaos, but that was not on my bingo card of chaos. (Vinesh) wasn’t at weigh-ins, so I was in my head like, ‘Oh my gosh, this might be a possibility.’ Then, we get the news that she didn’t make weight, and we were under the impression that it was a forfeit. So, there was a lot of celebrating,” Hildebrandt was quoted as saying by PTI.
“It was very strange, like ‘Oh my god, I just won the Olympics.’ Then an hour later, they were like, ‘You did not win the Olympics.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, this is very weird.’ So there had to be a reset. I took a nap, woke up, and it was like a fever dream,” she added.
Hildebrandt also revealed that she herself dropped from 55kg to 50kg two years back to prepare for the Paris Olympics.
“The weight cut has taken a lot of deliberate education and discipline. I actually started the weight cut for these Games back at the end of 2022. I was like, ‘Everything I do, from here on out, is going to feed into (Paris) 2024. So, it’s going to be uncomfortable in 2023.’ “I’m so happy to say that I’ve had the smoothest cut of my life for Paris 2024. It paid off,” Hildebrandt further added.
A day after her disqualification, Vinesh bid adieu to her international wrestling career on Thursday, saying that she doesn’t have the strength to continue anymore.
(With PTI Inputs)
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