Aman Sehrawat secured a bronze medal in the men’s 57 kg freestyle category with a dominating 13-5 win over Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz as India ended what could only be described as a heartbreaking campaign for Indian wrestlers following the loss of a medal because of Vinesh Phogat's disqualification.
Just when it looked like Indian wrestlers would return empty-handed from the Olympics for the first time since 2008, Aman gave the contingent a lot to cheer for as he bagged the bronze medal on Friday. This marks India’s sixth medal at the Paris Olympics with the country securing one silver medal and five bronze medals.
Aman, the lone male wrestler in the contingent, lost the first point of the bout after stepping out of the mat but came back strongly and took the 6-3 lead at the end of the first round despite being 2-3 down at one point.
In the second round, Aman was riding high on confidence and never looked like he was letting go of his comfortable lead and ended up winning the bout 13-5.
The 21-year-old Aman joined K.D Jadhav (bronze 1952), Sushil Kumar (bronze 2008, silver 2012), Yogeshwar Dutt (bronze 2012), Sakshi Malik (bronze 2016), Ravi Dahiya (silver 2020) and Bajrang Punia (bronze 2020) as the Indian wrestlers to win medals in the Olympic Games so far.
Aman was the only male wrestler representing India in wrestling this year. His outings have seen him secure an eighth Olympic medal for India in wrestling at the Olympics, two silvers and six bronze medals, extending its bid as the second most successful sport for the country in the Olympics behind Hockey.
The wrestler from Haryana started his campaign dominantly as he registered two consecutive technical superiority wins in his first two bouts but went on to lose to Japanese top-seed Rei Higuchi 0-10 in the semifinal on Thursday.
He had cruised past former European champion North Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov by a 10-0 technical superiority in his round of 16 bout before dismantling Albania's Zelimkhan Abakarov, the 2022 world champion and fourth seed, 12-0 in the quarterfinals.
Reetika Hooda, in the women’s 76kg division, is the lone Indian wrestler who has yet to compete at the Games.
On Monday, Nisha Dahiya was eliminated in the quarterfinals of women’s 68kg. Vinesh Phogat made it to the final in the women’s 50kg division on Tuesday but was disqualified after she failed the weigh-in on Wednesday. Anshu Malik lost her round of 16 bout against the USA’s Helen Maroulis while Antim also lost in her opening bout.
Bumrah, Kuldeep included in India's squad for Champions Trophy, no place for Siraj
Fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been named in India's Champions Trophy squad beginning on February 19. His inclusion, though, is subject to him being fit in time for the tournament, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar expressing optimism on his participation.
India Open 2025: Anupama reaches 2nd round, Malvika, Priyanshu go down fighting
Anupama Upadhyaya won the battle between two rising women’s singles players while Malvika Bansod and Priyanshu Rajawat put up a fight against higher-ranked opponents but ended on the losing side in the opening round of the India Open 2025 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall here on Wednesday.
Whatever Kohli, Rohit plan, it will be for best interest of Indian cricket: Gambhir
Questions have risen over the international futures of regular captain Rohit Sharma and talismanic Virat Kohli after India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, but head coach Gautam Gambhir said he was optimistic that whatever the senior duo plans would be in the best interest of the country.
5th Test: Australia beat India by 6 wickets to claim Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade
After 2014/15, Australia were winless in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on their home soil. But the tables turned under bright sunshine at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, as the hosts beat India to win the fifth Test by six wickets and clinch the series 3-1.
ICC accepts CT hybrid model, Indo-Pak 2026 T20 WC clash moved to Colombo: Sources
The impasse over the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 is over as sources close to BCCI and ICC claimed on Friday that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has accepted the hybrid model with India playing its matches in Dubai.
I-League 2024-25: Shillong Lajong register first win with 8-0 routing over Rajasthan United
Hosts Shillong Lajong FC struck it rich as they routed Rajasthan United FC 8-0 in Round 4 of the I-League 2024-25 at the SSA Stadium on Sunday.
Senior National Wrestling: Haryana sweeps women’s division with seven gold
It was Haryana’s day to shine at the Senior National Wrestling Championships 2024 as they clinched a stunning seven golds in the women’s category on the final day of the competition at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Jay Shah begins tenure as ICC Chair, outlines plans on Olympics & women’s cricket
As he commences his tenure as Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday, Jay Shah has given an outline of his vision towards leveraging the sport’s presence in the Olympics and growing women’s cricket across the globe.