India's Vinesh Phogat lopped off her tresses and forced herself into a smaller singlet but still fell 100 grams short of Olympic glory in a cruel twist to the rollercoaster career of one of the most compelling wrestlers of her time at the Paris Games.
While a billion-plus Indians went to bed on Tuesday night thinking they were assured of a silver and dreaming of a gold from Phogat, the 29-year-old was doing everything she could to get below the 50kg mark.
None of the measures worked, however, and Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday with Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman, who she beat in the semifinals, replacing her in the freestyle final against Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States.
It was a sad end to a campaign that began with the biggest upset of the competition in Paris as Phogat stunned defending champion Yui Susaki in what was the Japanese grappler's first loss to a foreigner.
Phogat had practically starved herself for a week, exercised and spent hours in the sauna as part of her usual process to cut the kilos from her natural 55-56 kg down to her competition weight.
"She was given some water to prevent dehydration before her bouts on Tuesday and subsequently her weight increased more than normal," said Dinshaw Paudiwala, chief medical officer of the Indian delegation.
"We had tried all possible drastic measures throughout the night, including cutting off her hair, shortening her clothes but despite all of this we could not make it."
Phogat was subsequently put on a drip but was medically fine, he added.
Give Vinesh Silver 🥈🙏@Phogat_Vinesh #vineshphogat pic.twitter.com/1WWFoUo5RI
— geeta phogat (@geeta_phogat) August 7, 2024
This was not the first Olympic heartbreak for the wrestler from Haryana, who entered the 2016 Rio Games as a medal favourite but had to be stretchered off the mat after injuring her knee in her quarterfinal bout.
PHOGAT THE ACTIVIST
Phogat was the face of the months-long protest demanding criminal action against the then chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year.
Singh, an influential member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, denied charges of sexually harassing several Indian women wrestlers but the athletes continued demonstrating.
The photograph of Phogat being dragged on the street in New Delhi and loaded into a police van along with fellow wrestlers sent a powerful message.
In May, Phogat and others gathered on the bank of river Ganges and had to be talked out of their plans to toss their medals into water as a mark of protest.
Singh was subsequently removed as the president of the WFI, while the federation was suspended for five months until it elected a new set of administrators.
Her heartbreak in Paris brought an outpouring of sympathy back home with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing her as a "champion among champions" on social media platform X.
"You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian," Modi said.
"Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on."
Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2024
Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing.
At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always…
Shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won India's first individual Olympic gold in 2008, said he was "completely gutted".
"Sometimes you don't need a gold medal to be a true champion to people," he added.
Completely gutted . Sometimes u dont need a gold medal to be a true champion to people….
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 7, 2024