NEW DELHI: American wrestler Sarah Ann Hildebrandt won the gold medal in the 50kg category at the Paris Olympics after Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight. Hildebrandt, who had been preparing for the final, faced an unexpected situation when Phogat was replaced by Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, whom Hildebrandt eventually defeated to secure the gold.
Phogat, aged 29, had been eliminated after the weigh-in for being overweight, leading to her being substituted by Lopez, whom she had defeated in the semifinal. Hildebrandt, 30, who had previously won a bronze at the Tokyo Games, described the confusion she experienced during the weigh-in, initially mistaking Phogat's absence for a forfeit.
