Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat became the youngest Olympic medallist from India. A fortnight shy of his 21st birthday, Sehrawat won the bronze in the 57kg freestyle wrestling category. This magnificent debut at the Games revived the spirit of the national wrestling team shadowed by various controversies.
Sehrawat, who turned 21 on July 16 celebrated his birthday with a convincing 13-5 win over Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico in an engaging third-place contest. Incidentally, P.V. Sindhu was the youngest Indian Olympic medallist before this. Sindhu won a silver at the 2016 Games at the age of 21 years, one month, and 14 days.
The bronze by Sehrawat is a gigantic step in taking India's medal count to six, inching closer toward equalling the feat of seven won at the Tokyo Games. India has so far won one silver and five bronze medals, including this.
Emotional, Sehrawat said that he promised his grandfather—who reared him following his parents' death when he was barely eight—that he would do something big someday. "It has been a long wait to win a medal for my country. I promise the people of India that I will strive to win gold for you in 2028," he said. On his present achievement, he said, "While the goal was gold, at this point I am satisfied with the bronze. I had to move past the semifinal loss and focus on the future. "Just like Sushil Kumar won two medals, I want to win in 2028 and 2032."
Sehrawat, the only Indian male wrestler to make the cut for the Paris Games, said it is just continuing the trend of taking home an Olympic medal in wrestling since Sushil Kumar brought one home from Beijing in 2008. Yogeshwar Dutt followed him with a medal in 2012, Sakshi Malik did the same in 2016, while Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia did it in 2021.
Coach Jagmender Singh and Virender Dahiya revealed they had spent a sleepless night in keeping a close vigil on Sehrawat's weight so that it remained within the limits. "We took extra precautions to manage his weight, checking it every hour through the night," said Dahiya.
The wrestling contingent though fared poorly with women wrestlers Antim Panghal (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), and Nisha Dahiya (68kg) missing podium finishes. Vinesh Phogat competing in 50kg was disqualified from the gold-medal bout due to being 100 grams overweight. This resulted in a lot of controversy as Vinesh has disputed her disqualification in CAS. A verdict is eagerly awaited on this matter.
Teenager Panghal also had an accreditation card issue following its use by her sister, which means she was deported after her first-round loss.
Sehrawat adopted aggressive strategies with deft moves, taking a 6-3 lead going into the break. He capitalised on his high endurance to outlast and outmanoeuvre his opponent but fell just short in the semifinals against Japan's Rei Higuchi.
Having lost his parents at the age of 12, Sehrawat found solace and a second home at the Chhatrasal Stadium, where his father had enrolled him in 2013. In fact, this very stadium has produced four Olympic medallists: Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, and Ravi Dahiya. Now, Sehrawat joins their ranks as the youngest among these lofty wrestlers.
On Saturday, Reetika Hooda (76kg) will be in action, and a medal from her could match India's Tokyo Games tally.
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