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US Wrestling Legend Jordan Burroughs Demands Silver Medal for Vinesh Phogat After Olympics Debacle
US wrestling legend Jordan Burroughs has asked for a silver medal to be awarded to Vinesh Phogat after her Olympics disqualification. Read on.
India’s Vinesh Phogat was set to compete against Sarah Hildebrandt in the final of the Paris Olympics as she became the first women's wrestler to do so. However, her bid for the Olympic gold medal was shattered when she was disqualified from the competition. Meanwhile, US wrestling legend Jordan Burroughs couldn't digest the decision, and he spoke for the 29-year-old.
The American freestyle wrestler took over his X (formerly Twitter) account to speak for Vinesh and asked to at least give her a silver medal. He tweeted, “GIVE VINESH SILVER.”
The 36-year-old American star also proposed an “immediate rule change for UWW” in a separate post. In the tweet, he stated five points. The first one was a “1 kg second day weight allowance.”
Another was, “Weigh-ins pushed from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.” In the third point, he wrote, “Forfeit will occur in future finals if the opposing finalist misses weight.”
The fourth point was, “After a semifinal victory, both finalists’ medals are secured even if weight is missed on Day 2. Gold can only be won by a wrestler who makes weight on the second day.” In the fifth and last one, he again requested for a silver medal to be given to Vinesh.
It was a sad day for the country when Vinesh was disqualified from the Summer Olympics after the former Indian wrestler failed to meet the weigh-in on Wednesday morning. She was 100 gm overweight in the mandatory weigh-in despite the best efforts from the team.
The multiple Commonwealth Games gold medalist was replaced by Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, a Cuban wrestler in the final who was defeated by Vinesh in the semifinals of the ongoing competition in Paris.
The 5 ft 3 native from Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India is currently seeking a joint silver medal and has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). The matter will be heard on Thursday.
However, it has been reported by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport's international governing body, to the IOA that the rules regarding the current weigh-in, which resulted in the disqualification of the athlete, cannot be altered so far.
Additionally, according to what UWW chief Nenad Lalovic told the reporters in Paris, where the sporting major is being held, he doesn't see “anything that can be done.” Following the occurrence, the three-time Olympian, Vinesh surprisingly announced her retirement on social media, shocking the nation and her supporters.
Vinesh wrote, addressing her mother Premlata, “Mother, wrestling won against me, I lost. Your dreams and my courage are broken. I don't have the strength to go on anymore.” She continued, “Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive me.”
Meanwhile, the former wrestler from India has been getting a lot of support from her fans all over the world. She has bagged two World Championship bronze medals and is a three-time Commonwealth Games champion.
Vinesh has also won gold medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships, making her one of the most decorated wrestlers in the history of India.
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