Bajrang Punia, another prominent Indian wrestler, expressed his sadness over Vinesh’s decision.
He took to social media and wrote: “Vinesh, aap haari nahi, haaraaya gaya hai (Vinesh, you haven’t lost; you have been defeated.”
“Hamaare liye sadaiv aap vijeta hi rahegi, aap Bharat ki beti ke saath-saath Bharat ka abhimaan bhi ho (For us, you will always be a winner. You are not only the daughter of India but also its pride),” he further wrote.
Vinesh, who made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category on Tuesday, was assured of at least a silver medal before her disqualification. She announced her retirement on Thursday morning, posting an emotional message on social media.
“Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me, your dreams and my courage, everything is broken.”
“I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me),” added the two-time world championships bronze-medallist.
Vinesh appealed her disqualification from the Olympic finals on Wednesday to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), requesting to be awarded a joint silver medal.
Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semifinals, took her place in the final against American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt won the bout to claim gold, and Vinesh is now hoping that CAS will award her a joint silver medal with Lopez.
However, the international governing body of the sport, United World Wrestling (UWW), has made it clear that the current weigh-in rule cannot be altered at this time.
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