The wrestling centre at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi is enjoying a steadily growing international tradition. Before this year, it was in the famous akhara of the stadium – a traditional word for a wrestling academy – where four of India’s six all-time wrestling medallists at the Olympics were groomed.
On Friday night at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Aman Sehrawat added his name to the walls of the famous academy. At the Champs-de-Mars Arena he beat Darian Toi Cruz of Puerto Rico 13-5 in the men’s freestyle 57kg event to win bronze. It was a win that ensured India won an medal in the sport for the fifth consecutive Olympics.
At 21 years and 24 days, Sehrawat has also become the youngest Indian to medal at the quadrennial event in an individual discipline.
His win also provided some comfort after the disappointment of the much-vaulted Antim Panghal and the trouble surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s campaign. It is also a testament to Sehrawat’s determination and skill that allowed him to overcome the distractions coming from the Indain contingent in Paris.
His coach Lalit Kumar had told The Indian Express that Sehrawat was shy and skinny when he first started training. On Friday, when he battled Cruz over the course of the six-minute bout, his frame was still a tad more scrawny than the Puerto Rican’s, but there was no trace of shyness.
While not as packed with muscle due to being in a lighter weight category, what sets Sehrawat apart from his competitors is his tenacity and utter bullheadedness.
Wrestling demands that you continue to work till the final whistle – you may be leading with 10 seconds to go, but a match can still be finished with a pin if you are not alert.
Sehrawat displayed his attacking mentality in his bronze medal bout when he didn’t deter from a settled plan – not even after getting a deep cut on his nose in the second half – despite Cruz scoring the first point of the match.
“I couldn’t sleep the night before,” said Sehrawat to the media present in Paris after his bout.
“I kept getting up from the bed and walking around the room, going in and out and only thinking about wrestling. But I had a plan and I stuck to it and I’m happy that it was successful.”
Against an opponent eight years his senior, Sehrawat stuck to his guns and was quick on his feet after Cruz targeted his legs to get a few points. Matching the Puerto Rican for aggression, the Indian kept on racking up the points until his medal was confirmed.
His time in Paris had ended. But a bigger journey had just begun.
“I wanted to get gold for India, but there were good wrestlers here,” said Sehrawat.
“But I’m looking forward to the 2028 Olympics [in Los Angeles] and I will definitely get gold there for my country.”
The missed gold was on his mind perhaps, when he stood on the podium, unsmiling. He was content with his achievement, but not deeply satisfied.
Just the beginning
Sehrawat was only 10 when he left his home in the village of Borohar in Haryana for the Chhatrasal akhara. A year later, he lost his mother, who had been suffering from depression. His father passed away soon after, unable to recover from the loss of his wife.
Sehrawat was then brought up by his grandparents.
Through that tough period, Sehrawat’s resolve to make it in wrestling never wavered. But it took some work. The routine to break through the ranks in such a popular sport in the country requires otherworldly dedication and Sehrawat possessed this in spades.
Intense workouts that include burpees counted out by the coach on duty, climbing up ropes tied to a tree and grappling in the mud, the original surface for wrestling in India, before returning to training on a mat – Sehrawat has been brought up on a steady diet of the same programme that produced the likes of Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia and his closest competitor and idol Ravi Kumar Dahiya.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Dahiya had won a silver in the same category – men’s freestyle 57kg – and was favoured to travel to Paris as well.
Although a long injury lay-off hampered Dahiya’s preparation for the national trials that were held in March, no one truly expected Sehrawat to not only beat his senior, but also secure the chance to represent India at the upcoming qualifier tournaments. He would then win the Paris 2024 quota at the last chance, the World Olympic Qualifiers in Istanbul, becoming the only male wrestler in the contingent.
At a previous trial, for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Dahiya had beaten then 18-year-old Sehrawat for the spot. Sehrawat vowed to come back stronger.
Not only did Sehrawat go back and work on his technique and iron out his weaknesses, he also racked up a list of achievements that included the 2022 Under-23 World Championship and Asian Championship titles.
After the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when Dahiya returned to Chhatrasal with the silver medal, Sehrawat refused to look at it stating that he wanted to only look at the one he wins for himself.
Now, when Sehrawat returns to Chhatrasal, he will be in that same spot. He will hold the bronze medal aloft for all to see and celebrate. But for him, with his sights already set on Los Angeles 2028, the medal is a token to show that his journey has just begun.
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