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NEW DELHI: Orphaned at the age of 11 when his parents passed away due to different medical conditions within a span of a year, a shy and thinly-built Aman Sehrawat found solace in the world of wrestling when his uncle dropped him at city’s Chhatrasal Stadium, hoping to put his life back on track.
On Friday evening, Aman – the reigning world U-23 champion – paid a rich tribute to his parents and uncles when he defeated Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz 13-5 in the men’s freestyle 57kg bronze medal playoff bout to become India’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist at 21 years, 24 days.
It was Aman’s fifth senior medal at the international stage.
Aman, who competes in Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya‘s category, joined Chhatrasal eight years ago under the guidance of coach Lalit. It was his uncle Sudhir Sehrawat‘s decision to send him away from their village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district.
“It was the best decision of my life to introduce Aman to wrestling and bring him to Chhatrasal. In our native village of Birohar, Aman had tried his hands in mud wrestling but he needed proper guidance and coaching setup to excel in the sport. Aman was unable to bear the loss of his parents and was a distracted child who had lost all his hopes in life. After I brought him here, he got hooked on to freestyle wrestling and found peace in the sport. Today, he has made the entire nation proud,” Sehrawat said.
Aman justified his uncle’s decision by winning a bronze at the World Cadet Championship in 2018, before securing the Asian Championships title in the junior category. He became a national champion in 2021 and followed the triumph up with U-23 Asian and world titles in 2022 and bronze at the Hangzhou Asiad in his debut Games last year.
This year, too, he that he’s ready for the Paris Games by clinching the title at the prestigious Zagreb Open and finishing runners-up at the Budapest ranking series. Lone Indian male wrestler in the fray in Paris, Aman had secured the berth at the world qualifiers in Istanbul after defeating the likes of Tokyo Olympics medallists -Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya -at the national selection trials.
“He was always a disciplined wrestler, very quiet and shy and always focused on his wrestling. He never fought with anyone at Chhatrasal. His routine has been to train, eat properly and sleep. Sagar pehelwan, who now works with Air Force, took special care of him by arranging for his diet including dry fruits, ghee and milk. Aman used to stay with him and Sagar will treat him like his younger brother,” said Chhatrasal’s veteran coach Dharmendra Vats.
Aman lost 2.5 kgs in 10 hrs
Vats informed that Aman lost 2.5 kgs to meet the 57kg category limit within 10 hours ahead of his bronze medal playoff. He weighed 59.5 kgs after his semifinal defeat to Japan’s Rei Higuchi. “He underwent an intense regimen which included hot bath, gym session, running, jogging and sauna sessions,” Vats said.
On Friday evening, Aman – the reigning world U-23 champion – paid a rich tribute to his parents and uncles when he defeated Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz 13-5 in the men’s freestyle 57kg bronze medal playoff bout to become India’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist at 21 years, 24 days.
It was Aman’s fifth senior medal at the international stage.
Aman, who competes in Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya‘s category, joined Chhatrasal eight years ago under the guidance of coach Lalit. It was his uncle Sudhir Sehrawat‘s decision to send him away from their village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district.
“It was the best decision of my life to introduce Aman to wrestling and bring him to Chhatrasal. In our native village of Birohar, Aman had tried his hands in mud wrestling but he needed proper guidance and coaching setup to excel in the sport. Aman was unable to bear the loss of his parents and was a distracted child who had lost all his hopes in life. After I brought him here, he got hooked on to freestyle wrestling and found peace in the sport. Today, he has made the entire nation proud,” Sehrawat said.
Aman justified his uncle’s decision by winning a bronze at the World Cadet Championship in 2018, before securing the Asian Championships title in the junior category. He became a national champion in 2021 and followed the triumph up with U-23 Asian and world titles in 2022 and bronze at the Hangzhou Asiad in his debut Games last year.
This year, too, he that he’s ready for the Paris Games by clinching the title at the prestigious Zagreb Open and finishing runners-up at the Budapest ranking series. Lone Indian male wrestler in the fray in Paris, Aman had secured the berth at the world qualifiers in Istanbul after defeating the likes of Tokyo Olympics medallists -Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya -at the national selection trials.
“He was always a disciplined wrestler, very quiet and shy and always focused on his wrestling. He never fought with anyone at Chhatrasal. His routine has been to train, eat properly and sleep. Sagar pehelwan, who now works with Air Force, took special care of him by arranging for his diet including dry fruits, ghee and milk. Aman used to stay with him and Sagar will treat him like his younger brother,” said Chhatrasal’s veteran coach Dharmendra Vats.
Aman lost 2.5 kgs in 10 hrs
Vats informed that Aman lost 2.5 kgs to meet the 57kg category limit within 10 hours ahead of his bronze medal playoff. He weighed 59.5 kgs after his semifinal defeat to Japan’s Rei Higuchi. “He underwent an intense regimen which included hot bath, gym session, running, jogging and sauna sessions,” Vats said.
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