 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The 21-year old gives India sixth medal at the Paris Games with bronze in men's 57kg Freestyle wrestling
Aman Sehrawat lived up to expectations, bagging the men's 57kg Freestyle bronze medal at the Olympics with a commanding victory over Darian Toi Cruz in Paris on Friday.
The win brings some cheer to the Indian wrestling contingent that has been rocked by controversies.
The 21-year-old Under-23 World champion was the lone Indian male wrestler to qualify for the Paris Games and he did not disappoint, winning the bronze play-off 13-5 at the Champ de Mars Arena.
At 21 years 0 months and 24 days Sehrawat is the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal. Shuttler PV Sindhu was 21 years 1 month and 14 days old when she won silver at the Rio Olympics 2016.
India hasn’t missed a medal at the Olympics since 2008 and Aman's effort ensured the streak continues.
It was a fast-paced bout with quick moves from the two wrestlers. Once Aman got a measure of his opponent, he did not give the Puetro Rican much of a chance. He built a healthy 6-3 lead by the end of the first period with consecutive takedown moves.
As is usually the case, Aman, who thrives on a high-endurance game, first tried to wear down his opponent and then went for the kill.
Earlier, with dominating technical superiority wins over Vladimir Egorov and Zelimkhan Abakarov, the Indian wrestler stormed into the semi-finals without conceding a single point but was no match for Japan's Rei Higuchi in the semi-finals.
Having lost his parents at a tender age of 12, the famed Chhatrasal stadium -- where his father had enrolled him in 2013 -- became his second home.
He comes from the centre that has given India four Olympic medallists -- Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya.
Reetika Hooda (76kg) will be in action on Saturday, and if she wins a medal, India will match its Tokyo tally.
Sushil Kumar broke the glass ceiling by winning the bronze in Beijing (2008), and since then Yogeshwar Dutt (2012), Sakshi Malik (2016), Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia (2021) have kept the tradition intact.
The bronze gave India its sixth medal and move them closer to the Tokyo Games tally of seven.
Antim Panghal (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), and Nisha Dahiya (68kg) could not reach the medal rounds in their respective categories. On the other hand, Vinesh Phogat (50kg) lost despite entering the final as she was disqualified from the gold-medal bout for being overweight.
The disqualification led to a huge uproar in the country. The decision has been challenged in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The hearing has concluded and a decision is expected by Sunday evening.
Teenager Antim Pangal also landed herself in trouble for sending her sister to the Games Village on her accreditation card. She was deported along with her entourage.