The Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) accepted Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s plea for a joint silver medal in the women’s 50kg wrestling at the Paris Olympics.

Hearing on her appeal started around 9:30 am Paris time, or 1 pm IST on August 9, though an interim verdict was expected, the CAS put out a statement that the order will come before the Olympics end on August 11.

The development has come as a big shot in the arm for both Vinesh Phogat and the Indian Olympic Association. The CAS, in its prima facie views on Thursday, found merit in Vinesh’s plea for a joint silver medal after she was disqualified from the final for being 100 grams overweight.

Vinesh was disqualified just hours before her gold-medal bout against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the USA. Although she had guaranteed at least a silver medal by making it to the final, she lost the podium finish following a failed weigh-in. Attempts to shed some kg came to naught as she was disqualified anyway. The ruling of the United World Wrestling – that a wrestler must be within the weight category on each day of competition – saw Vinesh lose the chance at winning a medal.

Though Vinesh’s opponent in the semi-finals, Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, made it to the final, the script ended there as she was beaten by America’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt who became the fourth woman from her country to win a gold medal in wrestling.

Following her disqualification, Vinesh and the IOA filed two appeals with CAS. While the first one seeking permission for Vinesh to participate in the final was dismissed, the second appeal seeking a joint silver medal was allowed. Vinesh had won her first three bouts on August 6 but could not make her weight for the second-day weigh-in, which resulted in the disqualification.

The IOA has engaged Senior Advocate Harish Salve to argue its case before the CAS on behalf of Vinesh. The IOA argued that the 100 grams excess weight was insignificant and due to various factors such as bloating or recovery after intense competition and not for any gain.

This comes at a time when Vinesh has just declared her retirement from wrestling.

Hours after Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics ahead of the gold medal wrestling pout, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hoped that the Indian Olympic Association would strongly challenge this decision and provide justice to Phogat.

The former Congress president, in a post on X, said that it was unfortunate that Vinesh Phogat, India’s pride, who reached the finals after defeating world champion wrestlers, was disqualified on technical grounds. Gandhi added that Vinesh was not the one who would give up, adding that the Congress leader was confident that she would come back stronger in the arena.

The Congress leader said Phogat has always made the country proud. “Even today the whole country stands with you as your strength”, the Congress MP said.

Phogat, was disqualified from her gold medal match against Sarah Hildebrandt after weighing 150 grams over the 50 kg weight category. Phogat was set to make history as the first Indian wrestler to compete for a gold medal in her category.

Phogat’s journey through the event was remarkable, as she defeated all her opponents to reach the finals. She was scheduled to face Sarah Hildebrandt on August 7 for the ultimate showdown. However, it was discovered that she exceeded the weight limit by 150 grams, resulting in her disqualification.

Sanjay Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), stated that legal action would be taken against this situation. Vinesh’s nutritionist and coach can determine the real reason for this. He said WFI is looking for legal options to appeal for the disapproval of this disqualification. “Yes, we don’t have much time for it, but we are doing everything in our power to make this situation right,” Singh added.

Phogat, who had secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, is now ineligible for any medal and will be placed last. This decision came as a shock after her sensational victory over Yui Susaki, who is considered nearly unbeatable in the wrestling world.

The disqualification has been a devastating blow to Phogat, leaving her heartbroken and under medical supervision. Her supporters and fans are equally dismayed, with many expressing their disappointment online.

Indian woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat made a fantastic entry into the semifinals of the Paris Olympics in the 50kg category.

In a day, she scored stunning victories over defending Olympics champion Yui Susaki of Japan and a higher-ranked Ukrainian Oksana Livach in the pre-quarters and the quarter-final. She is due to take on Cuba’s  Yusneylys Guzman Lopez later tonight.

The 29-year-old Phogat downed Livach, a former European champion and 2018 world championship bronze-medallist, 7-5 in a fiercely contested quarterfinal to stay in contention for the elusive Olympics medal in her third attempt.

But not before shipping the all-important pre-quarterfinal bout in which she defeated four-time world champion and reigning gold-medallist Yui Susaki of Japan on points.

The 29-year-old Phogat managed to make the tables turn at last moment  of the match , securing  a decisive takedown with just 20 seconds remaining, denying Susaki the chance to defend her medal. Phogat has previously had disappointing performances in her Olympic career, where she finished 10th in Rio 2016 and ninth in Tokyo 2020. She dropped down to 50 kg from her usual 53 kg earlier for the Paris Games.

A win against Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez will guarantee her at least a silver medal while a defeat would pitch her against the bronze medal playoff.

Phogat started off her opening bout against Susaki on the backfoot as she conceded penalty points for passivity to trail 0-2. However, she turned it around brilliantly in the last five seconds to clinch three points and win 3-2.

Against Livach, Phogat  did a more aggressive job of it, going 2-0 up in the first round and closing shop over the next three minutes. Livach pulled it back to 5-4 but Vinesh saw it through.

Phogat has an Olympic participation tally of two but no medals-bearing ones. One X user commented, ” The best way to get a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to win a Paris Olympic medal.” Another user said, “Vinesh Phogat is just one win away from Modiji’s phone call.”

Phogat and other women wrestlers were also in the news over the past year for their protest against sexual harassment by former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Phogat was also captured in an iconic photograph when Delhi Police dragged her along with other protesters to break up their demonstration.