Vinesh Phogat of India Retires Following Olympic Heartbreak.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from the sport, just a day after being disqualified from the Olympics for failing the weigh-in.

The 29-year-old was scheduled to compete against the US's Sarah Hildebrandt in the 50kg freestyle final on Wednesday. 

A victory would have made her the first female Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. However, on the morning of the match, Phogat was disqualified after weighing in slightly over the 50kg limit.

In an emotional message posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Vinesh Phogat revealed she no longer had the strength to continue. 'Wrestling won and I lost. My dreams are shattered,' she wrote.

She bid farewell to the sport with a heartfelt tribute: 'Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all. I am sorry.'

A three-time Olympian, Vinesh Phogat has earned three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two World Championships bronze medals, and one Asian Games gold. In 2021, she also became the Asian Champion.

Earlier this week, Phogat became the first female Indian wrestler to reach an Olympic final, a result that would have guaranteed her at least a silver medal if not for her disqualification. 

Sakshi Malik is the only other female Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal, securing bronze at Rio 2016.

Phogat’s performance included a major upset when she defeated Japan’s reigning world champion, Yui Susaki, to advance to the quarter-finals. 

Sports writer Sharda Ugra praised her as India's "biggest, bravest, boldest Olympian."

Phogat had undergone extreme measures to make weight for the 50kg category, including a week of starvation and long hours in the sauna. She had previously competed in the 53kg category at the Olympics and faced difficulties meeting the weight limit during qualifiers.

Phogat has appealed her disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), seeking a joint silver medal. This is not her first Olympic setback; at Rio 2016, she was a medal favorite until a dislocated knee in the quarter-finals ended her hopes, a moment that deeply affected her supporters in India.