Grappler Aman Sehrawat flies under the radar, took up wrestling on father's insistence

Gaurav Kanthwal

Chandigarh, August 10

Aman Sehrawat was on a roll on Friday in his bronze medal match as he completely outplayed his rival Puerto Rico's Darian Toi Cruz 13-5.

Sehrawat, 21, who hails from Jhajjar’s Bhirhoar village, is the only Indian male wrestler to qualify for the Olympics this time.

He lost his parents when he was around 11 years of age. Aman’s mother Kamlesh was the first one to pass away, followed by his father, who died six months later.

Since then, Aman’s maternal aunt Suman took care of him and his sister.

Aman took up wrestling on his father’s insistence as he desperately wanted a wrestler-son in the family. Soon, he developed a liking for the ‘akhada’ and proved his mettle to gain entry to the Delhi's Chhatrasaal Stadium.

Coach Sanjay at the Chhatrasaal Stadium said, “Former world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov beat him 10-0 in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. In just one year Aman exacted his revenge with a same scoreline.”

Aman’s coaches said he considers 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya as his mentor.

A coach close to Sehrawat said that every time he wins a medal, he goes back home and puts it in a temple built by his late father.

Another coach said that until very recently, Aman used to keep a keypad phone. “Outwardly he looks docile but he has a very attacking style. He scores mostly from single leg and double leg attack,” the coach said.

Aman’s coaches said he had no support like the other feted wrestlers in the group during the preparation. “Neither did he sought any favours from the officials for Paris Olympics,” they added.