At just 21, he wrestled history into submission, becoming India's youngest Olympic medallist and carrying forward a proud legacy
Every August, as the tricolour flutters across the land, India's mind often drifts to moments that define its sporting pride. Some are etched in sepia-the first hockey gold in a free India.
Others are as fresh as dew-like a 21-year-old wrestler from Haryana standing on the podium in Paris, a bronze medal gleaming around his neck, and a nation swelling with pride. Aman Sehrawat's story is one of audacity, discipline, and a deep wrestling heritage that stretches far beyond the mats of the Olympic arena.
Credit: Adda 247
Haryana's dusty akharas have produced Olympic giants before - Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Kumar Dahiya. Aman was trained in the heart of this tradition, the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi, where dreams are shaped in early dawn drills and tested in fierce bouts.
By the time he was 20, he was already the first Indian to win gold at the U23 World Championships (Pontevedra, 2022) and had two Grand Prix titles to his name - Almaty 2022 and Zagreb 2024.
Credit: Matribhumi
To secure his ticket to Paris 2024, Aman had to do the unthinkable: beat reigning Olympic silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya in the national trials. It marked a symbolic change of the guard, with the younger challenger overcoming the established master.
His Olympic campaign started strongly - a 10-0 victory over North Macedonia's Vladimir Egorov in the pre-quarters, followed by a 12-0 demolition of former world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov in the quarter-finals.
Credit: Men's XP
The semi-final resulted in heartbreak - a 0-6 defeat to Japan's Rei Higuchi. However, in wrestling, resilience is as important as skill. The bronze medal match against Puerto Rico's Darian Cruz saw Aman start with a narrow 6-4 lead after the first period.
In the second, he launched a barrage of attacks, scoring freely to finish 13-5. At 21 years and 24 days, he became the youngest Olympic medallist in Indian history, surpassing PV Sindhu's record by just a few weeks.
Over 79 years, India has produced 23 individual Olympic medallists, with a total of 27 medals. Only 10 of these medals have been won by athletes under the age of 24. Aman now tops this list. PV Sindhu was 21 years, 1 month, and 14 days old when she secured her silver at Rio 2016.
Saina Nehwal’s bronze at London 2012 came at 22 years and 4 months. For male athletes, Vijender Singh’s boxing bronze at Beijing 2008 was the youngest - at 22 years and 9 months. Aman broke that record with the eagerness of a debutant and the calmness of a veteran.
Credit: Men's XP
Aman’s medal marked India’s second consecutive Olympic podium in men’s 57kg freestyle, following Ravi Dahiya’s silver at Tokyo 2020. Wrestling now accounts for eight of India’s 27 Olympic medals — a testament to the sport’s deep roots in the country’s competitive heritage.
Paris 2024 became India’s second most successful Games with six medals, tying London 2012 and just behind Tokyo’s record haul of seven. Five of Paris’ medals were bronze, making Aman’s achievement not only historic but also symbolic of the collective fighting spirit.
