Asian Games 2026: Aman Baroniya overcomes three surgeries to make wrestling debut

The 20-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler battled a recurring ACL injury and infection before earning his maiden Asian Games call-up

At just 20, Aman is the youngest wrestler in India’s Greco-Roman squad heading into the Asian Games, but his road to this debut has been anything but smooth. Days after competing at the U-17 World Championship in August 2023, he suffered a right knee injury that required ACL surgery within a week. What followed was a taxing few years of setbacks before he could get his body back into competing shape.

“Training is going well right now. This is my first Asian Games, so I am feeling very excited about it. This is a big moment for me. But the last few years have not been easy for me. I have had three surgeries. It was a very hard phase, both mentally and physically. But now my body is feeling good, I am training well, and I just want to give my best at the Games,” said Aman.

A knee injury that turned into surgeries

Keen to get back on the mat quickly after his first surgery, Aman admits that both he and his doctor pushed his recovery faster than they should have, a decision that cost him. Within two months, his knee developed an infection, forcing a second surgery in October 2023, just to treat it.

“I was young, and I had that jawani ka josh (youthful exuberance). I thought I would get back on the mat quickly and return straight to my peak. That was a mistake, mine and the doctor’s both. Because of that, I got a knee infection, and I needed another surgery to fix it,” he said.

“I thought I would return to my peak”

Aman continued his rehabilitation into 2024 and finally returned to training in April that year. But barely a week into training, he suffered another ACL injury in the same knee, this time requiring a third surgery. The recovery that followed kept him away from the mat for close to a year, a stretch during which his parents, worried by the repeated setbacks, asked him to focus on his studies instead. It was during this period that Aman admits he came closest to walking away from the sport altogether, and it was his coach and his roommate who kept pushing him to get back on the mat.

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“There was a time when I felt like quitting because of back-to-back injuries. Even my parents told me, ab padhai pe dhyan do (focus on your studies now), because they were worried about seeing me get hurt so many times. But my coach and my roommate did not let me think like that. They kept telling me, you will come back, just give it time. They pushed me every single day to get back on the mat. And when I did come back, I won a gold medal in the senior category. That medal meant a lot to me; it showed me that all the hard work was worth it,” he said.

Carrying his father’s unfulfilled dream

For Aman, wrestling has always been close to home. His father was a wrestler too but never got the support to take the sport further. That unfulfilled dream found new life in his son, and it was his father who first put him on the mat before sending him off to train at an academy.

“My father was also a wrestler, but he could not go far in the sport because he did not get the support at that time; there was no one to guide him properly. He always had this dream in his heart, and I think he saw that same dream for me. He is the one who got me into wrestling; he is the reason I am here today. In the beginning, he used to train me himself, on the ground near our village. Then when he saw I was serious about it, he sent me to an academy so that I could train more professionally,” Aman said.

With his father’s dream now his own, Aman is clear about where he eventually wants to end up—an Olympic gold medal. But at 20, he is careful not to look too far ahead, choosing instead to break the journey down into steps.

“My big dream is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. But I know it is a step-by-step process. Right now, my target is to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. After that, I want to win gold at the Senior World Championships. Then I will prepare for the Olympics. I am not thinking too far ahead; I am just taking one day at a time,” he said.

Through the injuries, surgeries, and long road back to competition, Aman has also had the backing of the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), which he credits with giving him the support he needed to keep moving forward. From helping him travel for training and competitions to providing physiotherapy, supplements, and other day-to-day support, IIS stood by him through his rehabilitation and return to the mat.

“IIS has helped me a lot. Whenever I needed to travel for training or competitions, they always supported me. Physiotherapy, supplements, whatever I have needed—they have given it to me. They have helped me in every way and taken care of everything I needed,” Aman said.

As Aman prepares to step onto the mat for his first Asian Games, he arrives stronger than ever, with his best years still ahead of him. He carries his father’s dream forward not as a burden, but as a promise he intends to keep, one step and one tournament at a time.

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