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'It is not like she is playing her first Olympics. It's her third Olympics. As an athlete, she must know the rules.'
2012 London Olympics bronze medallist badminton player Saina Nehwal has blamed Vinesh Phogat for her disqualification from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
Vinesh was disqualified after being found overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final, leaving her medal-less within hours of coming close to an unparalleled gold.
'She is an experienced athlete. Somewhere there has been a mistake on Vinesh's part too. She should take the blame too. Before such a big match, such a mistake is not right,' Saina Nehwal told NDTV.
'She is an experienced athlete. She knows what is right or wrong. I don't know the details of wrestling. I don't know if there has been any appeal in Olympics which resulted in something significant. She knows the rule. I don't know what mistake she did, that too on the final day. I have always seen her working very hard. She gives her 100%,' Saina added.
'It is not like she is playing her first Olympics. It's her third Olympics. As an athlete, she must know the rules. If there has been a mistake, I don't know how it happened. At such a big stage, I have not heard any such thing about any other wrestler, that they have been disqualified due to being overweight,' Saina said.
'I was cheering for her for the last two three days. Every player trains for this moment. I know what she must be feeling. There are no words to describe this as an athlete. Maybe the weight shot up. She is a fighter and has always made glorious comebacks. Next time she will make sure, a medal comes,' Saina added.
'I understand what she and her coaches must be going through. They should answer now. May be by mistake something happened. Her coaches were crying after her victory. They should be in a better position to answer about what exactly happened.'
Vinesh Phogat was one of the wrestlers who, in 2023, led the wrestlers' protests against then Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh -- then a BJP MP -- over allegations of sexual misconduct against women wrestlers.
Saina Nehwal has been a member of the BJP since 2020.