-By ArdorComm News Network
August 10, 2024
Aman Sehrawat secured a bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 57kg wrestling event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, making history as India’s youngest Olympic medalist. At just 21 years and 24 days old, Aman surpassed PV Sindhu’s record of 21 years, one month, and 14 days, set when she won silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
On his Olympic debut, Aman, who is also an Asian champion, triumphed over Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz, a Pan American Games bronze medallist, with a decisive 13-5 victory. This win marked India’s first wrestling medal at Paris 2024, its sixth overall at these Games, and the second consecutive Olympic medal in the event following Ravi Kumar Dahiya’s silver at Tokyo 2020.
Notably, Aman had defeated Dahiya in the national wrestling trials to earn his spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the men’s 57kg category.
India’s tally at the Paris Games now stands at one silver and five bronze medals. In wrestling, this bronze marks India’s eighth Olympic medal in the sport. The list includes silver medals won by Sushil Kumar at London 2012 and Ravi Kumar Dahiya at Tokyo 2020, with the other six being bronze.
In his bronze medal match, Aman initially fell behind when Darian Cruz attacked his leg and pushed him out of bounds, earning the first point. However, Aman quickly responded with a takedown, securing two points, and eventually took control of the match. Despite Cruz’s aggressive attempts, Aman’s defense and swift counter-attacks secured him a well-deserved victory.
Aman’s achievement also contributed to making Paris 2024 India’s second-most successful Olympic Games in terms of medal count. India had previously won six medals at London 2012 (two silvers and four bronze) and seven medals at Tokyo 2020 (one gold, two silvers, and four bronze).
Aman’s journey to the bronze was challenging. He was defeated in the semi-finals by Japan’s Rei Higuchi, the Rio 2016 silver medallist. Before that, he registered impressive back-to-back wins on technical superiority, defeating Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov, a former European champion, in the round of 16, and Albania’s Zelimkhan Abakarov, a former world champion, in the quarter-finals.
Six wrestlers are representing India at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nisha Dahiya (women’s 68kg) was eliminated in the quarter-finals, Vinesh Phogat (women’s 50kg) was disqualified due to a failed weigh-in, and both Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg) and Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg) were knocked out in the opening round. Reetika Hooda will begin her campaign in the women’s 76kg division on Saturday.