Explained: Why Vinesh Phogat failed weigh-in at Paris Olympics; why and how wrestlers cut weight | Sport-others News | News World

Vinesh Phogat will not medal at the Paris Olympics. The Indian 50 kg wrestler failed to make a crucial second weight cut on Wednesday morning, to be able to take part in the gold medal bout.

Wrestlers, boxers and combat sport athletes have weight categories in which they participate. These categories have rules in place that don’t allow athletes above that weight to participate in that competition. Essentially, sport does not want a bigger athlete to compete against a smaller athlete. But sometimes bigger athletes choose to cut weight, that is rapidly losing a set number of kilos before competition. It’s quite a common practice in combat sports.

Source indianexpress.com