In the midst of the wrestling world’s turmoil following Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, Sarah Hildebrandt, who secured gold in the women’s 50kg category, shared her own emotional journey. When Phogat was disqualified for being overweight by 100 grams during the mandatory weigh-in, Hildebrandt initially thought she had won the gold without competing in the final match.
However, an hour later, Hildebrandt learned she would face Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba for the gold medal. Guzman Lopez, who had lost to Phogat in the semifinal, was moved up from the bronze medal match.
Hildebrandt, 30, described the day as unusual and emotionally taxing. “There was a lot of celebrating. It was very strange. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I just won the Olympics.’ And then an hour later, it was like, psych, you did not win the Olympics. It was a very weird experience. So there had to be a reset.”
Hildebrandt eventually claimed the gold medal after defeating Guzman Lopez 3-0 in the championship match, becoming the fourth US woman to win a wrestling gold medal.
Expressing empathy for Phogat, Hildebrandt revealed she also undergoes rigorous weight-cutting to meet weigh-in requirements. “As a big weight cutter myself, I feel for Vinesh,” she said. “She had an amazing day yesterday and achieved an incredible feat. I don’t think she anticipated ending her Olympics like that. My heart goes out to her. She is an amazing competitor, wrestler, and person.”
Weight cutting is a common practice in wrestling, as athletes often compete in categories lower than their natural body weight to gain a strength advantage. Unfortunately, Phogat, who announced her retirement on Thursday, couldn’t shed the necessary weight on Wednesday morning. Despite three victories on Tuesday, she missed the weight limit by 100 grams.
Phogat, who had stunned four-time world and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan in her first match, would have been the first Indian woman to compete for a gold medal in wrestling. Instead, she left the competition without a medal.
Susaki eventually won a bronze medal by defeating Oksana Livach of Ukraine 10-0.
Hildebrandt, who won bronze in Tokyo, recalled her previous most unusual wrestling experience was a power outage that delayed a championship match by 30 minutes. “This tops that,” she said. “But yeah, it was definitely the most insane thing. I’m at a loss for words.”
The incident has sparked discussions about adding weight classes and highlighted the risks associated with weight-cutting in wrestling.
