Coach Reveals Weight-Cutting Process for Vinesh Phogat Was So Intense He Feared for Her Life
Budapest, 16th August 2024: Vinesh Phogat’s coach, Woller Akos, has shared insights into the intense weight-cutting process that left him fearing for the Indian wrestler’s safety. After winning her semi-final in the 50kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh was 2.7kg overweight with the final set for the following day.
The 29-year-old wrestler attempted various methods overnight to shed the extra weight before the weigh-in but was disqualified for being 100 grams over the limit.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Akos, from Hungary, described the severe challenges Vinesh faced and his deep concern for her well-being. According to Akos, after the semi-final, despite extensive efforts, including an hour and twenty minutes of exercise and 50 minutes in the sauna, Vinesh still struggled to lose the excess weight. She continued working on cardio machines and wrestling moves from midnight until 5:30 a.m., collapsing multiple times before spending an additional hour in the sauna. Akos recounted his fear, stating that he was deeply worried she might collapse due to the strain.
Following her disqualification, Vinesh remained resilient, expressing that while she did not secure a medal, her performance was commendable. In a conversation with Akos after leaving the hospital, Vinesh noted that although she didn’t win a medal, she had achieved her goal by defeating the top-ranked wrestler in the world, Japan’s Yui Susaki. Vinesh emphasized that her performance could not be taken away, even if the medals were not won.
Akos highlighted Vinesh’s historic achievement of reaching the Olympic final for the first time for an Indian woman wrestler and defeating Susaki, who had previously remained undefeated internationally.
Akos also recalled Vinesh’s conversation with fellow wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia during their protest. Vinesh had urged them not to discard their Olympic medals, highlighting their significance. Malik and Punia explained that while medals were important, the journey and their performances were what truly mattered.
