At just 21 years and 24 days old, Aman Sehrawat etched his name into history by clinching the bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 57kg wrestling event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming India’s youngest-ever Olympic medalist.
This remarkable achievement surpasses the record previously held by PV Sindhu, who secured a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics at the age of 21 years, one month, and 14 days.
In his Olympic debut, Aman Sehrawat, already an Asian champion, showcased his prowess by defeating Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz, a Pan American Games bronze medallist, with an emphatic 13-5 scoreline.
This victory not only marked India’s first wrestling medal at Paris 2024 but also contributed to the nation’s overall tally of one silver and five bronze medals at these Games.
Notably, this is India’s second consecutive Olympic medal in the men’s 57kg wrestling category, following Ravi Kumar Dahiya’s silver at Tokyo 2020.
Interestingly, Aman earned the right to represent India in this category by defeating Dahiya in the national wrestling trials.
In the bronze medal match, Aman faced a tough challenge as Darian Cruz initially took the lead by attacking Aman’s leg and pushing him out of bounds.
However, Aman quickly responded with a takedown, securing two points. Despite Cruz’s efforts to regain control, Aman remained proactive, accumulating points to lead 6-3 at the break.
After the interval, Cruz managed to score two more points, but Aman’s swift transitions from defense to attack allowed him to maintain his lead and secure the victory.
Aman Sehrawat’s success has also contributed to making Paris 2024 India’s second-most successful Olympic Games in terms of overall medal count.
With his bronze, India’s total medal haul in Paris now includes one silver and five bronze medals, trailing only the record set at Tokyo 2020, where India won seven medals, including one gold, two silvers, and four bronze.
Aman’s journey to the podium was not without challenges. In the semi-finals, he was defeated by Japan’s Rei Higuchi, the Rio 2016 silver medallist.
However, his path to the semi-finals was impressive, with consecutive victories by technical superiority over Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov, a former European champion, in the round of 16, and over former world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania in the quarter-finals.
India’s wrestling contingent at Paris 2024, comprising six athletes, has seen mixed results.
While Nisha Dahiya (women’s 68kg) was eliminated in the quarter-finals, and Vinesh Phogat (women’s 50kg) faced disqualification due to a failed weigh-in, Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg) and Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg) were knocked out in the opening rounds.
Reetika Hooda, competing in the women’s 76kg division, is set to begin her campaign on Saturday.