I Prepared for Chaos But, Sarah Hildebrandt Reflects on Vinesh Phogat Disqualification at Paris Olympics
American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt had been preparing for what was supposed to be fierce competition against India’s Vinesh Phogat in the final of the women’s freestyle 50kg at the Paris Olympics. However, the buildup for that title match took an unexpected turn when Vinesh was ruled out for missing weight, which Hildebrandt confessed she did not see coming.
Surreal build-up
Most of Hildebrandt’s work was already done as the gold medal bout neared. She had prepared for the competition mentally by knowing what to expect from high-level wrestling. But this final morning held quite a surprise for her: Vinesh wasn’t there for the weigh-in, and at that point, her team began thinking that she might not have to wrestle for gold.
“I prepared for chaos, but that was not on my bingo card of chaos. (Vinesh) wasn’t at weigh-ins, so I was in my head like, ‘Oh my gosh, this (winning gold) might be a possibility.’ Then, we get the news that she didn’t make weight, and we were under the impression that it was a forfeit. So, there was a lot of celebrating,” Hildebrandt recalled.
The turn of events was a mix of emotions for Hildebrandt. At first, excitement, then confusion. “It was very strange, like ‘Oh my god, I just won the Olympics.’ Then an hour later, they were like, ‘You did not win the Olympics.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, this is very weird.’ So there had to be a reset. I took a nap, woke up and it was like a fever dream,” she added.
The Weight Struggle
Vinesh Phogat had previously switched to the 50kg weight category in the hunt for success at the Olympics following her fleeting and uncertain wrestling career. However, her effort was marred by missing weight as she weighed 100 grams above the prescribed weight during the weigh-in. Desperate to reach her weight, Vinesh opted for extreme measures like starving and going without water. The dehydration was so bad that she ended up needing intravenous (IV) fluids at a polyclinic in Games Village.
On the other hand, Hildebrandt had made a decision to cut weight two years ago before the Paris Olympics, moving down from 55kg to 50kg. “The weight cut has taken a lot of deliberate education and discipline. I actually started the weight cut for these Games back at the end of 2022. I was like, ‘Everything I do, from here on out, is going to feed into (Paris) 2024. So, it’s going to be uncomfortable in 2023.’ I’m so happy to say that I’ve had the smoothest cut of my life for Paris 2024. It paid off,” she explained.
The Final Match
Although much confusion came to life as Vinesh was disqualified, Hildebrandt forged into the final match with Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, where she took the gold medal. Unexpectedly, from the direction things were taking along her path to victory, it just goes to prove that sometimes, with sports, anything can happen, again in a minute.
While Hildebrandt celebrated her victory, the circumstances under which Vinesh was ruled out put a blur on the event. Weight management goes hand in hand with an athlete’s training; thus, the fact that Hildebrandt managed to get it right tells it all about her commitment and strategic planning.
Looking Ahead
As the Paris Olympics unfold further, Hildebrandt’s experience at the games exposes how much both mental and physical moves have to be put in play to achieve Olympic glory. The events are a pure pointer that sports, therefore, come with their share of unpredictability; therefore, an athlete must be well-prepared, disciplined, and very resilient.
Nothing through the tournament so far has taken Hildebrandt’s focus away from her wrestling career and all the challenges and opportunities ahead of her. With her gold medal in her pocket, there is no doubt that she will be an inspiration to a lot of future wrestlers on how to navigate their sport’s complexities with determination and grace.
Read more about related article, just click here
