Vinesh Phogat's hopes of competing in the Asian Games 2026 were dashed on Saturday after she lost to Meenakshi Goyat in the semi-finals of the women's 53kg trials.
The 31-year-old grappler, who had to battle the odds throughout the trials, was defeated 4-6 in the semi-finals.
Earlier, Vinesh had displayed her experience and class to beat Nishu and enter the semi-finals, but her quarter-final bout turned into a bitter feud involving coaches and officials from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium.
Vinesh was initially restricted to the 50kg category, but the WFI reversed its decision after she accused the federation of discrimination and weighed in at 53.9kg, allowing her to compete in the 53kg draw.
