Vinesh Phogat’s Coach Feared for Her Life During Weight-Cut Session: ‘She Collapsed…’
Coach Woller Akos revealed that he and everyone else did everything possible reduce get Vinesh Phogat’s weight, detailing the behind-the-scenes efforts.
Vinesh Phogat’s coach, Woller Akos of Hungary, has revealed that he feared for the wrestler’s life during the intense work-cut session the night before the final of the women’s 50kg final at the Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh, who put on a show for the ages by defeating the previous Games gold medallist and a four-time World Champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the quarterfinal and then Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the semi to assure herself of a medal – at least silver guaranteed – was unfortunately disqualified for being 100 grams over her weight category.
The heartbreak led to a sea of emotions in the Indian wrestling contingent and back home as the entire nation rallied behind the 29-year-old to come out of it strong. The news broke out when Vinesh went it for the weigh-in, but it was the night before where the wrestler had to undergo a strenuous test. For five long hours, Vinesh and her coaching staff tried their best to get Vinesh’s weight under control. This included cutting her hair, drawing out blood and other extreme measures. However, after facing flak for ‘not doing his job properly’, with IOA president PT Usha holding Vinesh and her coach responsible for weight management, Akos revealed that he and everyone else did everything possible, explaining in detail the behind-the-scenes effort.
“After the semi-final, 2.7 kg of excess weight was left; we exercised for one hour and twenty minutes, but 1.5 kg still remained. Later, after 50 minutes of sauna, not a drop of sweat appeared on her. There was no choice left, and from midnight to 5:30 in the morning, she worked on different cardio machines and wrestling moves, about three-quarters of an hour at one go, with two-three minutes of rest. Then she started again. She collapsed, but somehow we got her up, and she spent an hour in the sauna. I don’t intentionally write dramatic details, but I only remember thinking that she might die,” Akos wrote.
‘On our way back from hospital, Vinesh told me…’
The post, written in Hungarian, has now been deleted by Akos, but not before it was already consumed. Vinesh also had to be hospitalised in the process as millions tried to come to terms with what had happened. Having qualified for the final, Vinesh was expected to land India its first gold medal of the Paris Games – which would have culminated one of the greatest comeback stories in sports given what Phogat had endured in the last year and so being part of the wrestler’s protest of India – but in a cruel twist of fate, wasn’t to be. On her way back from the hospital, Akos revealed that while Vinesh was crushed, she was dwelling on the positives.
“We had an interesting conversation that night, returning from the hospital. Vinesh Phogat said, ‘Coach, don’t be sad because you told me that if I find myself in any difficult situation and need extra energy, I should think that I beat the best woman wrestler (Japan’s Yui Susaki) in the world. I achieved my goal, I proved that I am one of the best in the world. We have proved that the gameplans work. Medals, podiums are just objects. Performance cannot be taken away’,” Akos had written further.
The disqualification meant that as per rules, Vinesh wouldn’t even get the silver medal, a development that broke her as she announced her retirement. She and her team appealed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports) but her plea was dismissed.
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