Coach feared for Vinesh Phogat’s life during extreme weight cut before Olympic final: Report
New Delhi: Vinesh Phogat’s coach, Woller Akos, has revealed that he had concerns over her health during the weight-cutting process before the 50kg freestyle final at the Paris Olympics. According to The Indian Express, Akos posted on Facebook, later deleting it, that he feared for Phogat’s life as she attempted to cut the last few grams for the weigh-in, where she eventually missed the mark by 100 grams, resulting in disqualification.
The post, originally written in Hungarian, described how Phogat had 2.7 kilograms to lose after the semi-final. Despite over an hour of exercise and 50 minutes in the sauna, 1.5 kilograms remained. Phogat worked through the night on cardio machines and wrestling drills, but collapsed at one point. She eventually recovered and continued her efforts in the sauna.
After being hospitalised and later discharged, Phogat reflected on the experience with her coach, stating, "Coach, don’t be sad. I achieved my goal; I proved I am one of the best in the world. Medals and podiums are just objects, but performance cannot be taken away."
Despite missing out on a medal, Phogat took pride in her performance, particularly in defeating Japan's top wrestler, Yui Susaki.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
