'Not to let fame get overhead': Paris Olympics bronze winner Aman Sehrawat

New Delhi, Aug 23
Aman Sehrawat brought India’s only medal in wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympics when he won the bronze medal in the men’s 57kg category. The 21-year-old has been at the fabled Chhatrasal Akhada since he was 11 and has always had his eyes set on an Olympic medal.

The words ‘Olympics Gold’ and ‘If it were easy, everyone would do it’ are written on the walls of Aman’s room at the Chhatrasal Akhada and India’s youngest-ever medal winner at the Games is not content with a bronze medal and has already set his sight on the gold medal at the 2028 LA Olympics.

“I have started training and will focus on the areas I lacked in at the Games and now my focus is on an Olympic Gold medal,” he told IANS on Friday.

Aman defeated Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz 13-5 in the bronze medal match in the men’s 57 kg category. The victory has seen him rise up to World No. 2 in the United World Wrestling rankings in the category.

This was the sixth Olympic medal to come from the ‘Chhatrasal Akhada’ under the tutelage of legendary wrestling coach Satpal Singh with Sushil Kumar having won the honour twice and Aman, Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Yogeshwar Dutt all having won one medal each.

Aman went on to reveal what his coach said to him before and after his Olympic performance.

“The coach had talked to me before the Olympics and told me ‘You should focus on your own bouts and not change your style according to your opponent.’ When I returned he told me to not let the fame get to in your head and I should behave exactly like I used to before I won the medal as I have to go even further,” added Aman.