US gold medallist wrestler Jordan Burroughs demands silver for Vinesh

As the wrestling world struggled to come to terms with the stunning disqualification of India's Vinesh Phogat from the Paris Olympics, American professional wrestler and Olympics gold medallist Jordan Burroughs launched a movement on X, demanding the silver medal for Phogat in a series of almost hourly posts.

Phogat failed a crucial second weigh-in on Wednesday morning and was prevented from competing in today's 50 kg gold medal match against Sarah Hildebrandt of the US. Which essentially means she will leave France without a medal, despite her victories in the pre-quarter final, quarter-final and semi-final.

As the rules now stand, Phogat will not be awarded a silver medal, which many people feel she won considering her semi-final victory.

“Maybe stories like this will wake up the IOC. Wrestling needs MORE than six weight classes! After three tough matches against world class opponents, no athlete should have to spend the night preparing for a Gold medal in this manner. Absolute desperation from the Indian team trying to get the last bit of weight off of Vinesh to qualify for today’s final,” Burroughs wrote in one of his X posts.

The reference here is to the manner in which Phogat tried everything to bring her weight within the limit of her category, including running all night on Tuesday despite her three strenuous bouts earlier in the day, taking frequent sauna baths, trimming her hair, not eating, and even drawing blood in a desperate bid to lose a few grams.

Burroughs, a 2012 Olympics gold medallist, has also proposed that United World Wrestling (UWW) amend its rules to allow for a one kg discrepancy at the second-day weigh-in, shift the weigh-in time from 8.30 to 10.30 am, forfeit future finals if the other finalist fails to make weight, and guarantee both finalists' medals following a semifinal victory even if weight is missed on the second day.

Asserting that a gold medal should be awarded only to the wrestler who makes weight on the second day, Burroughs then requested a silver medal for Phogat.

Indian netizens reacted favourably to Burroughs' statements, but that is natural. What is more significant that several fellow international sporting personalities and wrestling aficionados have also come out in support of his contentions.