Rei Higuchi and Vinesh Phogat

Rei Higuchi, the Japanese Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, has expressed his empathy for Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from her gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics due to being 100 grams overweight. Higuchi, who himself faced a similar setback during the Tokyo Olympics with a 50-gram excess, offered words of encouragement through social media, urging Vinesh to reconsider her retirement. Despite her disqualification, Vinesh had a strong performance leading up to the final, defeating the defending champion. The Indian Olympic Association is optimistic about her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a joint silver medal, as the hearing concluded recently. Support for Vinesh also came from American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt and others, highlighting the need for reforms in weight class regulations in wrestling to prevent such situations. The global wrestling community is rallying around Vinesh as she navigates this challenging moment in her career.