New Delhi

On the morning of his competition at the Paris Olympics, Aman Sehrawat was dealing with a kind of pressure he hadn’t experienced. “All eyes back home are on me. There are people watching my bout in my village, the entire country is watching me. What if I lose?” The thoughts kept swirling in his head as he went for his bout.

Aman’s rise in Indian wrestling has been spectacular. Within two years, he has risen from being the country’s first U23 world champion to India’s youngest Olympic medallist. Much like his inspiration and Chhatrasal teammate Ravi Dahiya, the 2021 Tokyo silver medallist. For Aman, the first big challenge was at home, to beat Ravi and stake claim for an Olympic berth. He did exactly that, putting to rest any doubts about his credentials of to keep intact India’s record of winning at least a wrestling medal in each Games since Beijing in 2008.

Yet, as the day approached in Paris, he felt the nerves. It was the Olympics, and the 21-year-old who had bravely faced every adversity life threw at him, from the death of his parents when he was a young boy, was now fighting doubts. But the 57kg wrestler only had to look within himself to be reassured that the stage belonged to him.

“Bure samay nahin dekhta to shayad desh ke liye medal nahin jeet pata (If I had not seen those bad days, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to win a medal for the country),” says Aman, looking back at his journey.

“Kuch bhi to nahi tha hamare paas ghar pe (There was nothing at home). There was no money for training and diet. But those days made me strong and spurred me to train. So, I used to think that if I win an Olympic medal, my financial situation would improve. I used to practice day and night with that thought.”

It was time to chase his dream in Paris. He won the first bout comfortably against Vladimir Egorovy of Macedonia on technical superiority before meeting a tough rival he faced at the world championships -- Albania’s Zelimkhan Abakarov, the 2022 57kg world champion.

“He beat me 10-0 at the world championships. So, I knew If I had to bring a medal, I will have to somehow win this bout. I went there with the strategy that I don’t want to give him any points at the start and keep it as close as possible. And I was ready for a long bout.”

The plan worked. Beating Abakarov 12-0 was a massive upset, and Aman was ready for his semi-final against Japan’s Rei Higuchi, another big name in wrestling.

“With the Japanese, I lost four early points and my mind was full of negative thoughts. I hurried to cover up and ended up losing more points and could never recover.”

Aman reflected on what struck him as the Japanese raced to victory.

“It was the first day and I felt so much pressure thinking that everyone would be watching me in India, in my village. So, I was worried about the outcome of the match.”

He came back fresh the next day with a new approach – he shed 3.5kg overnight to make his weight for the bronze medal bout.

“I just thought I am not going to think I am competing at the Olympics. I will take it as just another bout in a state-level competition. I told myself it doesn’t matter if I win or lose, or what people thought, I will focus only on the bout and my game.”

Aman trounced Puerto Rico’s Darian Toi Cruz 13-5 to claim bronze.

Winning an Olympic medal felt normal. Until he landed in India and saw his village, his academy, friends and wrestling fans turn out to greet him at the airport.

“I was surrounded by the media in Paris and gave interviews one after another. I didn’t feel like I had won an Olympic medal. It was only after I returned to India that I realised what I have achieved. So many people came to receive me at the airport and honoured me. Everyone was so happy at Chhatrasal; they were singing, dancing. I never thought an Olympic medal could bring so much happiness.”

In the crowd, there were two people he had a lot to thank. His roommate Sagar, a Greco-Roman wrestler, who has played a pivotal role in Aman’s career, and Ravi Dahiya, the 57kg Tokyo silver medallist, who has been a constant source of his strength.

“My father brought me to Chhatrasal in 2014. I wanted to do pehlwani. I had heard the names of Sushil (Kumar) and Satpal pehelwan. So, he brought me. My mother passed away in 2013 because of illness. After 5-6 months, my father passed away. My uncle took care of me and my sister. At Chhatrasal, Sagar was my brother and guardian. When he got the job in the Air Force in 2018, he spent his salary on my wrestling.

“Ravi was so happy to see me. He told me “it is just the start for you. You will compete in two more Olympics. Make sure that you keep your focus in the sport and prepare better for the future’.”

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