Vinesh Phogat’s coach, Hungarian Woller Akos, has said he feared for the wrestler’s life during the intense training session on the eve of the women’s 50kg final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Vinesh, who put on an unforgettable show by defeating former Games gold medallist and four-time world champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the quarterfinals and Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the semifinals to secure a medal – at least silver was guaranteed – was unfortunately disqualified as she was 100 grams over her weight class.

The heartache triggered a sea of ​​emotions in the Indian wrestling team and at home, with the entire nation rallying behind the 29-year-old to emerge stronger. The news came to light when Vinesh went for the weigh-in, but the wrestler had to endure a grueling test the night before. For five long hours, Vinesh and her coaching staff tried their best to get Vinesh’s weight under control, which included haircuts and blood tests. However, after being criticised for “not doing his job properly” and IOA president PT Usha blaming Vinesh and her coach for the weight control, Akos revealed that he and everyone else had done everything possible and explained in detail the efforts behind the scenes.

Read also: Vinesh Phogat’s heartbreaking first reaction to the CAS’s rejection of their bid for a joint silver medal at the Paris Olympics

“After the semifinals, she was still 2.7 kg overweight. We trained for an hour and twenty minutes, but there was still 1.5 kg left. Later, after 50 minutes in the sauna, there was not a drop of sweat left. She had no choice and from midnight to 5:30 in the morning she trained on various cardio machines and wrestling exercises, about three quarters of an hour at a time, with two to three minutes of rest. Then she started again. She collapsed, but somehow we managed to get her up and she spent an hour in the sauna. I am not intentionally writing dramatic details, but I just remember thinking she might die,” Akos wrote.

“On the way back from the hospital, Vinesh told me…”

The post, written in Hungarian, has now been deleted by Akos, but not before it was consumed. Vinesh, meanwhile, was also hospitalized as millions tried to process what had happened. Having qualified for the final, Vinesh was set to give India its first gold medal of the Paris Games – which would have been one of the greatest comeback stories in sport, given what Phogat had been through over the last year or so as part of the wrestlers’ protest against India – but in a cruel twist of fate, it was not to be. On the way back from the hospital, Akos revealed that while Vinesh was devastated, he still looked on the bright side.

“We had an interesting conversation that evening when we came back from the hospital. Vinesh Phogat said, ‘Coach, don’t be sad because you told me that when I am in a difficult situation and need extra energy, I should think that I have beaten the best wrestler (Japan’s Yui Susaki) in the world. I have achieved my goal, I have proved that I am one of the best in the world. We have proved that game plans work. Medals and podiums are just objects. Achievement cannot be taken away from you,'” Akos had further written.

The disqualification meant that Vinesh would not even get the silver medal as per the rules, a development she broke when she announced her retirement. She and her team appealed to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports), but their request was rejected.