Orphan At 11 To Youngest Indian Olympic Medallist At 21 – Aman Sehrawat Keeps Chhatrasal’s Legacy Going
New Delhi: Life wasn’t easy for Aman Sehrawat. From losing his parents in childhood, Aman has come a long way to become India’s youngest Olympic medallist at 21 years and 24 days when he defeated Puerto Rican Darian Toi Cruz 13-5 in the bronze medal match on Friday night at Champ de Mars Arena in Paris. Aman not only continued the legacy of Indian wrestling medal by a male at the Olympics since 2008, but also grabbed the country’s first wrestling medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Soon after his win, Aman dedicated his medal to his parents and the entire nation. “My parents always wanted me to be a wrestler. They didn’t know anything about the Olympics, but they wanted me to be a wrestler,” said Aman.
Born in Jhajjhar in Haryana, Aman was left with a void at just 11 years when he lost his mother due to depression. A year later, his father passed away too, unable to bear the loss of his wife. But Aman’s father did the most important job before his untimely death – enrolling his son at the Chhatrasal Stadium in 2013. It turned out to be the turning point of Aman’s life.
Raised by his grandparents, Aman soon found Chhatrasal Stadium – a place that produced Olympic medalllists like Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwa Dutt, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya – to be his second home. Training alongside the likes of champion wrestlers left a lasting impact on the youngster and he delivered when it mattered the most to become one of them.
Aman hogged the limelight in 2022 when he became the first Indian wrestler to secure a gold medal in the U23 Wrestling Championships – something that even his seniors Bajrang and Ravi had not managed to achieve. Aman’s success is also attributed to his inspiration from two-time Olympic medalist Sushil.
Notably, Aman was the sole male wrestler from India at the Paris Olympics 2024. In fact, his medal was India’s sixth at the ongoing Games after three in shooting, one in hockey and one in javelin.