New Delhi: Olympian Vinesh Phogat cleared a major procedural hurdle ahead of the Asian Games selection trials after successfully completing the weigh-in for the women’s 53kg category at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
According to officials, Vinesh was among all eligible wrestlers who reported for the scheduled weigh-in and fulfilled the necessary formalities, making her eligible to compete in the selection trials that are set to get underway shortly.
“The weigh-in for all weight categories, including the Women’s 53kg category, was conducted at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi, as per the approved schedule for the Asian Games selection trials. All eligible wrestlers, including Ms. Vinesh Phogat, reported for the weigh-in and completed the requisite formalities. Accordingly, all eligible wrestlers who fulfilled the prescribed requirements have been cleared to participate in the selection trials, which are scheduled to commence shortly,” WFI said in a statement.
Earlier, with the Supreme Court refusing to stay the Delhi High Court order allowing Olympian Vinesh Phogat’s participation in the Asian Games selection trials, the Wrestling Federation of India has insisted that she will be allowed to participate only in the 50kg weight category, in which he took part in Paris two years back.
The WFI had approached the SC seeking a stay on the Delhi High Court order, but with the SC refusing to stop Phogat’s participation in the trials, the federation seems to have thrown another spanner in the works by insisting that she take part in the 50kg and not 57 kg, to which she switched recently.
“Vinesh Phogat will have to participate in trials in the 50kg category, the same weight class in which she competed at the Paris Olympics. As an iconic wrestler, she will be allowed to take part in the selection process, but only in the 50kg division. The weigh-in is scheduled for early morning,” WFI sources told IANS.
The WFI seems to have resorted to this rule on the eve of the start of the competition, likely hoping that Vinesh fails to make the weight in the weigh-in on Saturday morning.
Starting in the 48kg weight category, Vinesh moved up to 51kg and then settled in 53 kg, in which she won two World Championships medals and also at the Tokyo Olympics. However, she participated in both the 53 and 50kg categories in the trials for the Paris Olympic Games before securing qualification in 50kg. She reached the final of the 50kg weight class in the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she failed to make the weigh-in below 50kg by a narrow margin on the morning of the final.
The 31-year-old wrestler, a member of the famed Phogat sisters from Haryana, announced her retirement a day after the Paris Olympics setback. However, in December 2025, she reversed her retirement decision, setting her sights on the LA 2028 Olympics. The period away from the mat also saw Vinesh becoming a mother in July last year.
(IANS)
