India has won seven medals in wrestling, the highest in any individual sports discipline at the Summer Olympic Games, and has six wrestlers lined up to target next in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 starting on July 26.
Aman Sehrawat leads India's hopes for a wrestling medal in the Paris Games after his breakthrough 2023 season. Sehrawat is India's only male wrestler who qualified for the Paris and is seeded sixth in the men's 57kg category. So, let's take a look at his career and achievements ahead of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games.
The 21-year-old Aman hails from Haryana's Birohar, Jhajjar district and lost his parents when he was only 11 years old. He first emerged to fame after winning a bronze in the World Cadets Championship event (U17) in Zagreb in 2018.
Sehrawat also made an impact with Gold in the 2019 Nur-Sultan Asian Cadets Championship and then made the headlines winning gold medals in the World U3 Championships in Pontevedra and the Asian U23 Championship event in Bishkek in 2022.
At the senior level, he bagged gold in the 2022 Almaty (Grand Prix) in the men's 57kg category and then stole the limelight with a maiden Asian Games medal in Hangzhou in 2023. Sehrawat defeated China’s Minghu Liu to win bronze in the 2022 Asian Games, his biggest career achievement ahead of the Paris Olympics.
On his path to Paris, Sehrawat knocked out his idol and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic medalist Ravi Dahiya to earn the quota in the men's 57kg category. The Indian contingent has just one male wrestler at the Summer Olympics for the first time since 2000 but a recent record in wrestling promises a surprise medal from young Aman Sehrawat.
Aman Sehrawat's achievements:
| Events | Performance |
|---|---|
| 2022 Asian Games | Bronze |
| 2023 Asian Championships | Gold |
| 2022 Almaty Grand Prix | Gold |
| 2024 Zagreb Grand Prix | Gold |
| Yasar Dogu Tournament 2023 | Bronze |
| Junior Events | Performance |
|---|---|
| World U23 Championships (2022 Pontevedra) | Gold |
| Asian U23 Championship (2022 Bishkek) | Gold |
| Asian U20 Championship (2022 Manama) | Bronze |
| World Cadets Championship (2019 Sofia) | Bronze |
| World Cadets Championship (2018 Zagreb) | Bronze |
| Asian Cadets Championship (2019 Nur-Sultan) | Gold |
