Emerging grappler Aman Sehrawat crashed out of contention for gold in the men's 57 kg category at the Paris Olympics after his 10-0 loss to Japan's Rei Higuchi on Thursday, August 8. However, Aman is still in contention for a bronze medal and will take on Darian Toi Cruz (Pan American Games medalist) of Puerto Rico on Friday, August 9.
Aman's semifinal didn't even go the distance as Higuchi displayed his acrobatic freestyle wrestling and pinned the Indian on the mat in the blink of an eye.
The 28-year-old Higuchi patiently waited for a few seconds measuring Aman and then launched his attack from behind taking the latter by surprise. Aman tried his heart out to escape from Higuchi's firm grip but ended up disappointed as the Japanese claimed the game on technical superiority 10-0.
The Japanese was tipped to win the contest against Aman from the beginning based on his illustrious career and his experience against the young Indian grappler in handling high-pressure situations.
A silver medallist at the Rio Olympics in the 57 kg weight category, Higuchi brought his experience into play and outclassed the Indian wrestler. Aman's semifinal loss has added another painful chapter to India's wrestling campaign at the Paris Olympics.
Earlier in the tournament, Nisha Dahiya suffered a heartbreak after she got injured during her quarterfinal bout in the 68 kg weight category while taking on North Korea's Sol Gum. Nisha was inches away from putting her feet in the semifinal bout before she picked up an injury in her ring and little fingers on her right hand.
Nisha was leading the contest 8-2 and the game was halted so that the Indian could receive some medical attention.
Disaster struck as the bout resumed. Nisha badly injured her right shoulder and it seemed like a dislocation. The injury killed Nisha's momentum and the North Korean capitalised on the opportunity to take the bout.
Before the country could even recover from Nisha's painful exit, Vinesh Phogat's unceremonious disqualification added more misery to the unbearable pain. However, Aman will have the chance to put a sweet end to what has been a forgettable campaign for Indian wrestlers in Paris.
