Aman Sehrawat scripted history by becoming India’s youngest ever medalist at the Olympics as he claimed bronze in the 57kg freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Aman defeated Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz in the bronze medal match on Friday to clinch India’s first medal in wrestling at this year’s Olympics. In an interview with NDTV, Aman opened up about what the medal meant for him and said that although his dream was to win the gold, this medal will motivate him to perform well in 2028.
“I came with the dream of winning a medal at the Olympics. Wanted to win gold but everything happens for one’s good. Next time, I will be better prepared. This was a big boost for me and I have the belief now that I will surely do well in the 2028 Olympics,” Aman told NDTV after the bronze medal triumph.
Following his loss to Japan’s Rei Higuchi in the semifinals, Aman was overweight and he needed to get back into the permissible limit before the weigh-in. The wrestler said that they worked overnight on his weight and he did not sleep at all as his coaches put him through multiple training sessions.
“We did a lot to lose that weight. Once the bout ended, I practiced for two hours. Then at around 1am, I trained at the gym. By 3, I was somewhat done. But I did not sleep at all. The main target was to get the weight within the permissible limit. Did not sleep at all before the fight,” he explained.
Earlier, Vinesh Phogat also qualified for the 50kg wrestling final but she was disqualified from the gold medal match for being overweight. After the decision was challenged in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the hearing has concluded and a decision is expected by Sunday evening.
