During final weight-cut before finals, Vinesh Phogat’s coach thought she might die

Vinesh Phogat’s coach, Woller Akos, has revealed the extreme measures taken to prepare her for the Olympic final in Paris, expressing his deep concern for her well-being during an intense weight-cut session. Akos, who later deleted his social media post, detailed the grueling five-and-a-half-hour ordeal the night before the final, where Vinesh was disqualified for being just 100 grams over the 50-kg limit. The Hungarian coach described the desperate efforts made by the team to ensure Vinesh could compete, underscoring her unwavering determination to secure her first Olympic medal.

According to Akos, the situation became dire after Vinesh’s semi-final victory, where she still had 2.7 kg to lose. Despite exercising for over an hour and a half, 1.5 kg remained. A subsequent 50-minute sauna session failed to produce any sweat, forcing the team to resort to more drastic measures. From midnight until 5:30 a.m., Vinesh engaged in grueling cardio exercises and wrestling drills, taking only brief breaks. Even when she collapsed from exhaustion, she was pushed to continue, eventually spending another hour in the sauna. Akos admitted that the situation became so severe that he feared for her life, reflecting on the thought that she “might die” during the ordeal.

Despite the devastating disqualification, Vinesh demonstrated remarkable composure and resilience. Akos recounted an emotional conversation they had on the way back from the hospital, where Vinesh expressed her satisfaction with her performance, despite the outcome. She reminded Akos of his advice to draw strength from having defeated Japan’s Yui Susaki, the world’s top wrestler in her category, emphasizing that her achievement in reaching the final was more significant than the medal itself. Vinesh’s words highlighted her belief that success isn’t solely defined by tangible rewards, but by the effort and skill demonstrated on the mat.

Akos also reflected on a moment from the previous year when Vinesh, along with fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, considered immersing their Olympic medals in the Ganga as a form of protest. Vinesh, who had not yet won an Olympic medal, pleaded with them not to discard their hard-earned symbols of achievement. She valued the significance of those medals, recognizing the incredible journey and sacrifice they represented. This incident reinforced her understanding that the true measure of an athlete’s worth lies not in the medals themselves, but in the dedication and performance that led to them.

Although Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification was a bitter disappointment, Akos emphasized that the world will remember the historic achievement of her reaching the Olympic final, defeating the world’s best wrestler, and breaking new ground for Indian women in wrestling. Despite the outcome, Akos and Vinesh take pride in the fact that their rigorous and professional training program allowed her to make history, underscoring the importance of the journey over the final result.