Aman Sehrawat was the sole male Indian wrestler at the Paris Olympics but he carried the pressure of expectation with his trademark calm and employed his mercurial footwork to beat Darian Toi Cruz 13-5 for the bronze medal in the men's 57kg category. With this he became, at 21, the youngest Indian Olympic medallist ever in individual sport (beating PV Sindhu's record).
It's also a sign that Indian wrestling, which has been through turbulent times outside of the mat, has a bright future on it. Aman's potential had been spotted early as he tore through the age-group circuits before graduating to senior competitions two years ago.
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After two easy wins on Thursday to start his campaign, Aman - the youngest male freestyle wrestler at the Paris Olympics - rode out a spirited first period from Cruz to eventually win comfortably.
Aman had a clear brief from his coach Lalit Kumar before the bout: don't be dheela [loose]. It's a trait of his -- where he starts the bout slow -- that has cost him in the past: it's also how he lost to eventual gold medallist Rei Higuchi in the semifinals. Aman stuck to his brief: against Cruz, he dictated the bout from the start.
The Puerto Rican got the first tackle in as he latched into a takedown on Aman's right leg and got on the scorecard. Any lesser wrestler would have panicked a bit, but Aman, known for his calmness, showed no signs of worry. He struck back at Cruz with a takedown for two and brought out his attack-attack-attack style to put Cruz on the back foot.
It's exactly what Aman specialises in: his incredible levels of endurance allow him to attack non-stop and that paid dividends as he executed two more takedowns to lead 6-3 at the break.
Firmly in control, Aman used his footwork to spin around Cruz and flatten him on the mat for two more mid-way in the second period. Cruz tried to break Aman's momentum by asking for two medical breaks, but it made no difference.
Aman had won the biggest medal of his life, yet there was no hint of a smile on his face. He maintained his composure and the only celebration was an index finger that he wagged while looking above. Aman would later say that he dedicated the medal to his late parents, who passed away when he was a child.
Ahead of the final, Aman planned his weight cut well, especially after what happened with Vinesh Phogat and Ravi [he had to lose four kgs overnight and had barely any energy for the final] in Tokyo.
Aman had around two and a half kilograms to lose overnight and after two sessions he finally broke the weight at 4:30am. He climbed onto that weighing scale around 7:30 am and only after he got the green light did he finally manage to get some sleep.
Aman had moved to New Delhi's Chhatrasal stadium, the nursery of Indian wrestling, when he was 10 years old. He was orphaned a year later and Chhatrasal became his home. Aman learnt the basics of wrestling on the same sand pits and foam mats as two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Aman's idol - Ravi Dahiya.
Training around them rubbed off on him - he was inspired by Sushil's work ethic, for example - but the wrestler Aman was able to relate to the most was Ravi. He, too, had come to Chhatrasal as a child and learnt the ropes here before winning silver medal in Tokyo.
Ironically, Aman had beaten Ravi to earn the right to compete at the Olympics and he had one single aim: to bring a medal back and extend Chhatrasal's legacy. India's last four male Olympic wrestling medallists have come from here: Sushil, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia and Ravi. Aman is now part of that coveted group.
This win is Aman's biggest on the senior circuit, a stunning result for someone who turned senior two years ago. Aman had bossed age-group events before that, winning two bronzes at the World Cadet level before a gold at the Asian Cadets in 2019. In 2022, at 19, he made the transition to the big leagues. He won bronze in the Asian U20 Championship and followed it with a gold in the Asian U23 Championships.
His biggest moment until now was the World U23 Championships title in 2022. It was something Bajrang Punia and Ravi had not managed to do. It set him up to fully graduate to the seniors, where he clinched the gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and a bronze at the Asian Games.
"If it was easy, everyone would do it"
This is from Aman Sehrawat's room in Chhatrasal - the nursery of Indian wrestling. It definitely wasn't easy, but he's just become an Olympic medallist. Dream on �� https://t.co/dFHYuKR2yw | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Ttui4Rh74s
- ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) August 9, 2024
Even then, his photo did not find a place in the underground training hall in Chhatrasal. Coach Kumar had said he contemplated putting Aman's photo there after the Asian Games but felt a picture with an Olympic medal might look better. Like the writing on the walls in Aman's room says "If it were easy, everyone would do it."
It wasn't easy, but Aman has now earned the right to have his photo put up on that wall now.