Meet Aman Sehrawat: Chhatrasal's orphan, now an Olympic medallist

By clinching the bronze medal, Aman Sehrawat became the youngest ever Indian to win an individual Olympic medal.

Aman Sehrawat, a young wrestler from Haryana, made India proud by securing a bronze medal in the Men’s Freestyle 57kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024. His victory came after a tough match against Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz, which Aman won convincingly with a score of 13-5.

Aman’s journey to the Olympic podium has been filled with challenges. At the age of 11, he lost both of his parents and was raised by his grandfather and uncle. Inspired by Sushil Kumar’s silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, Aman started training at the renowned Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. This stadium has a history of producing top wrestlers, including Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, and Ravi Dahiya.

Aman’s training at Chhatrasal has been intense, with coaches noting that he always puts in extra effort compared to others. His key strength lies in his endurance, which allows him to outlast his opponents in matches. This ability has helped him achieve success at both junior and senior levels.

In 2022, Aman became the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal at the U-23 World Championships, adding to his earlier gold at the U-23 Asian Championships. He also won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships but faced a setback at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, where he finished 11th after losing to Albanian wrestler Abakarov Zelimkhan.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Aman won a bronze medal, but his performance didn’t fully reflect his potential. He has often been compared to Ravi Dahiya, who won silver in the same category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Despite facing tough competition from Ravi in the past, Aman has shown his resilience and determination to succeed.

Also Read: Top five youngest Indian medallists at Olympics

Aman qualified for the Paris Olympics after a strong performance at the World Olympic Qualification tournament in May 2024, where he won all his bouts comfortably. At the Olympics, he defeated North Macedonian wrestler Vladimir Egorov in the round of 16 before facing Abakarov Zelimkhan again in the quarterfinals. This time, Aman emerged victorious, avenging his earlier loss.

In the semifinal, Aman faced Japan’s Rei Higuchi, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, but was defeated in just over two minutes. Despite the setback, Aman didn’t lose heart and delivered an outstanding performance in the bronze medal match against Darian Cruz.

At just 21 years old, Aman has become the youngest Indian to win an individual Olympic medal, surpassing PV Sindhu’s record.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram