Paris Olympics 2024: Orphaned at 11, Aman Sehrawat becomes India’s youngest individual medallist

Aman Sehrawat not only won a bronze for India at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Friday, he also became the first wrestler from the country to do so at the ongoing Games and also the youngest-ever individual medallist. Aman’s medal at the age of 21 years 0 months and 24 days is the new record as he bettered PV Sindhu’s feat.

Sindhu was 21 years 1 month and 14 days old when she won silver at the Rio Olympics 2016.

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Sehrawat won bronze, India’s sixth medal at Paris 2024, with a 13-5 win over Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz in the third-place contest.

“It’s been a long time since I won a medal for my country. I had to do something about it. I would like to say to the people of India that I will definitely win a gold for you in 2028,” the youngster, who was raised by his grandfather after losing his parents as a child, said after his triumph.

“The target was gold but I had to be content with bronze this time. I had to forget the semifinal defeat. I told myself, let it go and focus on next. Sushil pehlawan ji won two medals, I will win in 2028 and then in 2032 also,” he added enthusiastically.

Read | How Aman Sehrawat shed 4.6kg before bronze medal match

The U-23 world champion was the lone Indian male wrestler to qualify for the Paris Games and he did not disappoint. Wrestling has not missed a medal at the Olympics since 2008 and Sehrawat’s effort ensured the streak remained unbroken.

Sushil Kumar broke the glass ceiling by winning the bronze in Beijing (2008), and since then Yogeshwar Dutt (2012), Sakshi Malik (2016), Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia (2021) have kept the tradition intact.

Coach Jagmender Singh and Virender Dahiya said they spent a sleepless night to monitor Sehrawat’s weight.

“We took special precautions to reduce his weight. We kept checking his weight every hour. We didn’t sleep the whole night,” Dahiya said.

Tough beginning

Having lost his parents at the tender age of 11, the famed Chhatrasal stadium – where his father had enrolled him in 2013 – became Sehrawat’s second home.

The stadium that became his shelter was the one that gave India four Olympic medallists – Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, and Ravi Dahiya.

And Sehrawat ensured that he joined the roll of honour as the youngest among the giants who did it before him.

After his bronze medal win, Aman, who was born on July 16, 2003, and hails from Birohar in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, dedicated his achievement to his late parent.

“This medal is for them. They don’t even know that I became a wrestler, that there’s something called the Olympics,” Sehrawat said.

With agency inputs