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Rohit Mahajan in Paris
‘Ibbe te kuchh ni diya ji, ibbe te bahut kuchh dena hai desh te...’
Aman Sehrawat to PM Narendra Modi
Aman Sehrawat, India’s youngest ever medallist at the Olympic Games, is a very obliging fellow — it had been predicted that he’d get India a medal in the men’s 57kg freestyle in Paris, and he obliged last night. He then gladly stepped out of the venue’s bounds and, with the Eiffel Tower looming over him, obliged interviewers, photographers and selfie-seekers.
Now he’s assured the prime minister that he’d ‘give much more’ to the country than he’s actually done, and his coaches — and even Darian Toi Cruz — said he’s likely to oblige.
Puerto Rico’s Cruz, whom Sehrawat beat 13-5 in the bronze medal playoff, was left humbled yet extremely generous after his encounter with the Jhajjar lad. “He’s really good, really tough,” Cruz said. “He’s only got up to go from here. He’s got bronze, next Olympics he’s going to get gold. He’s young and obviously I wouldn’t want it to go that way, but I’m proud of the fact that he is so good, for the country that he represents.”
That’s exceptional generosity. “Yeah, but he’s very good, and he’s a good guy,” said Cruz.
Great wrestler, good guy — the opinion is unanimous in the wrestling community. Sehrawat has great power, Cruz said. “He wrestles really hard,” he said. “He exerts really good pressure, he’s got good reach. He used that to his advantage.”
Cruz got the first point, and Sehrawat came back with two; Cruz again got the lead with a takedown, but Sehrawat didn’t panic — he’s got strength, but he’s got great calmness, too.
Just 21 and a medallist at the Olympics — but Sehrawat, blood oozing from a wound at the top of his nose, didn’t go overboard with the celebrations: He merely looked above and wagged his finger, remembering the parents he lost before he turned 12.
Sehrawat had had a sleepless night — he said his weight had gone up by five kilos during the first day’s three fights. It turned out that the correct figure was, in fact, 4.5kg — which still amounted to 8.07 per cent of his weight at the start of Day 1. He gained the weight through the food and drinks he consumed before and during the bouts; now was the time for the reckoning and he had to lose all that weight — 4.5kg in a night!
After obliging those seeking interviews, Sehrawat had mat sessions with two coaches, Jagmander Singh and Virender Dahiya, for 90 minutes. With a scale handy, they continued the weight-loss process through the night — a gym session after midnight, a run on the treadmill for an hour. After a break, the young man was put though 15-minute sauna sessions to make him shed sweat and weight. When he was weighed after these, he weighed 57.9 kg, 900 grams into the red zone — remember, Vinesh Phogat had been disqualified from the women’s 50kg field for being 100 grams too heavy on the day of the final bout.
More work in the gym, running and jogging, and Sehrawat had made the weight early morning — he could finally catch some sleep.
This win is Aman’s biggest on the senior circuit, a stunning result for someone who turned senior two years ago. Aman had bossed age-group events before that, winning two bronzes at the World Cadet level before a gold at the Asian Cadets in 2019. In 2022, at 19, he made the transition to the big leagues. He won bronze in the Asian U20 Championship and followed it with a gold in the Asian U23 Championships.
He tipped the scale 100 grams under the 57kg limit. When he came back to fight for bronze in the evening, Sehrawat was rested and strong, as Cruz was to find out.
Sehrawat, soon after winning the biggest medal of his career, declared that he’d get gold the next time — 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He repeated the promise when he was called by PM Modi. It’s a promise, coaches and competitors believe, he’s likely to keep.
Reetika loses in quarterfinals
Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda lost a close quarterfinal bout against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s 76kg category. The two were locked 1-1 after six minutes of top-quality defensive wrestling but the Kyrgyz won having logged the last point.
