She Should Take The Blame Too: Saina Nehwal On Vinesh Phogat's Disqualification From Olympics

Indian star badminton player Saina Nehwal has expressed that the country is disappointed after wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024.

Phogat had made history by becoming the first Indian woman to enter the final stage, assuring a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. However, just hours after ending Japan's Yui Susaki's 82-0 streak at the Olympics, she was disqualified for being found overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final.

Speaking to NDTV, Saina Nehwal stated that she had been cheering for Vinesh Phogat for the past two to three days and sympathized with what the athlete must be feeling after being disqualified at such a high level.

"She is an experienced athlete. She knows what is right or wrong. I don't know the details of wrestling. I don't know if there has been any appeal in the Olympics which resulted in something significant. She knows the rules. I don't know what mistake she made, especially on the final day. I have always seen her working very hard. She gives her 100 percent," said Saina.

As India's first Olympic medallist in badminton, Saina was surprised by the 'mistake' at such a high level, stating that such errors typically don't happen to athletes at this stage. She questioned how it occurred given Vinesh's extensive support team, including coaches, physios, and trainers. Saina expressed her disappointment and lack of understanding regarding wrestling rules and regulations.

"It is not like she is playing her first Olympics; it's her third Olympics. As an athlete, she must know the rules. If there has been a mistake, I don't know how it happened. At such a big stage, I have not heard of any other wrestler being disqualified due to being overweight. She is an experienced athlete. Somewhere there has been a mistake on Vinesh's part too. She should take the blame as well. Before such a big match, such a mistake is not right," Saina added.

The badminton player emphasized the importance of being vigilant about weight before a big match.

"She is an Asian Games champion, a Commonwealth Games champion. Somewhere there must have been a mistake on Vinesh's part too. Because ahead of such a big match, any player will be alert that the weight should be within permissible limits. How such a mistake happened only she or her coach can answer. But I am feeling dejected that we have missed a sure-shot medal," Saina said.

She concluded, "I understand what she and her coaches must be going through. They should answer now. Maybe by mistake, something happened. Her coaches were crying after her victory. They should be in a better position to answer about what exactly happened."

In a shocking reversal of fortunes, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday from the Olympics after making history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category. Before this morning, she was assured of at least a silver medal but will now return empty-handed due to the disqualification.

"She was found overweight by 100 grams this morning. The rules do not allow this, and she has been disqualified," said an Indian coach.