Indian female wrestler is disqualified from gold medal match after making Olympic history

Despite being disqualified from the gold medal match just hours after she made Olympic history, Vinesh Phogat is still being hailed by many online for her bravery and resilience.

The wrestler from Team India, who on Tuesday became the first woman from her country to make the Olympic finals, will not be participating in the women’s wrestling 50kg gold-medal match due to being “a few grams” over the weight class, according to the Indian Olympic Association.

Many social media users expressed disappointment over the ruling but found solace in Phogat’s impassioned activism against sexual harassment in her sport, including making major allegations against the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India.

The Indian Olympic Association didn’t elaborate on the matter and requested privacy for Phogat.

The 29-year-old, who had been set to wrestle Team USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt in Wednesday’s final, had bested the reigning gold medalist Yui Susaki of Japan by a 3-2 decision before going on to defeat Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarterfinal and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semifinal.

Many fans are saying Phogat’s disqualification was particularly heartbreaking given what she represents to women back home. Last year, she led a group of fellow wrestlers in protesting the behavior of then-WFI president and lawmaker Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. In a January 2023 letter, the group accused Singh of sexual harassment against several young female wrestlers. It also alleged that, after Phogat missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Singh “mentally harassed and tortured” her, driving the wrestler to the point of almost contemplating suicide.

The group led by Phogat demanded an investigation and called for Singh to be axed, and for the WFI to be dissolved. Allegations against Singh have included groping and inappropriate physical contact. He was charged with assault, stalking and sexual harassment in June of last year and the trial is currently underway. He has denied the allegations on multiple occasions.

“We as senior wrestlers who fight for the country only want to ensure a safe and secure place and environment for our young wrestlers especially female wrestlers,” Phogat and several other athletes wrote in the letter to the Indian Olympic Association. “They do not deserve to be in an environment of intimidation. We will not budge until the WFI President is sacked.”

Over the course of several months, the wrestlers also lodged police complaints and launched marches and other forms of resistance. Last May, Phogat and other protesters were violently dragged and detained by riot police, accused of disturbing the peace after they attempted to march toward the Parliament building. They also slept on the streets of New Delhi for 40 days before Singh was charged.

“Today we can stand without fear, our head held high, look him in the eye, the man we were afraid of for so many years,” Phogat wrote in the Indian Express. “Brij Bhushan has got the message that we are not going anywhere until women wrestlers get justice.”

After Phogat’s disqualification, India’s opposition leaders interrupted Parliament to demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak out against it. Modi hasn’t condemned the ruling, but he did praise Phogat as “a champion among champions.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com