Nehwal attacks Vinesh: ‘This wasn’t her first Olympics, should take blame too’

Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 stirred up controversy on Wednesday, with former athletes weighing in on the matter.
Indian shuttler and Olympian Saina Nehwal commented on Phogat’s disqualification, and while she emphasised Phogat’s experience and dedication, Nehwal stated Phogat made an unexpected mistake despite knowing the rules on the final day.
“I was cheering for her for the last three days,” Nehwal told NDTV. Every player trains for this moment. I know what she must be feeling. There are no words to describe this as an athlete. Maybe the weight shot up. She is a fighter and has always made glorious comebacks. Next time, she will make sure a medal comes.”
Vinesh Phogat, who was set to wrestle for a historic gold medal in women’s 50kg freestyle event, was disqualified after she was found overweight by 100 grams during the weigh-in on Wednesday.
Nehwal raised concerns about Phogat’s team of coaches and physios.
“Generally, such mistakes don’t happen to any athlete at this level. How this happened is a question mark. Because she has a big team—she has so many coaches, physios, and trainers—they all must be feeling bad. I am not sure about the rules and regulations of wrestling. As an athlete, I am feeling bad,” Nehwal continued.
According to Nehwal, Phogat’s experience in wrestling for many years at a professional level should have helped her anticipate such challenges.
“It is not like she is playing her first Olympics, it’s her third Olympics,” Nehwal told NDTV. “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 any such thing about any other wrestler, that they have been 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 too. Before such a big match, such a mistake is not right. She is an Asian Games champion and a Commonwealth Games champion. 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 one of the sure-shot medals,” Saina said.
The Indian shuttler, who won an Olympic bronze medal in London 2012, thought Phogat’s coaches would have a better explanation for why her weight was mismanaged.
“I understand what she and her coaches must be going through. They should answer now. Maybe something happened by mistake. Her coaches were crying after her victory. They should be in a better position to answer about what exactly happened.”