Aman Sehrawat opens India's wrestling account at Paris Olympics 2024, clinches bronze to take medal tally up to 6
India's Aman Sehrawat clinched India's fifth bronze at the Paris Olympics, winning the medal in men's 57kg freestyle event.
Aman Sehrawat produced a brilliant performance on Friday to clinch India's first wrestling medal at the Paris Olympics. Sehrawat defeated Puerto Rico's Darian Toi Cruz 13-5 in the men's freestyle 57kg match to secure India's sixth medal at the ongoing Games.
The 21-year-old wrestler enjoyed an impressive run on the opening day of the event, clinching wins by superiority in the round of 16 and quarterfinal bouts. However, Sehrawat faced a straightforward defeat to top-seed Rei Higuchi of Japan in the semi-final.
Toi Cruz took the first point in a tight bronze medal match after forcing Sehrawat out of the playing area. However, Sehrawat then made a swift comeback to gain two points after he locked his opponent's leg and flipped him. The two then took two more points each, both flipping the other in swift exchange as the Indian led 4-3 at the thirty-second break.
Aman made an excellent start to the second half, immediately locking Toi Cruz to gain a three-point advantage. With nearly two minutes remaining, the Puerto Rican required medical attention with some discomfort shortly after Aman took another two technical points. This clearly affected him as he looked to defend despite trailing in the game.
The Indian wrestler took the advantage, gaining two more technical points to lead 10-5, and soon extended his lead to seven points. The mid-bout injury continued to trouble Toi Cruz as the Indian eventually secured a 13-5 win.
Sehrawat was India's only male wrestler in the Paris Olympics. He became the sixth male wrestler from the country to clinch an Olympic medal after KD Jadhav (bronze in 1952 Helsinki), Sushil Kumar (bronze in Beijing 2008 and silver in London 2012), Yogeshwar Dutt (bronze in London 2012), Ravi Dahiya (silver in Tokyo 2020), and Bajrang Punia (bronze in Tokyo 2020).
On Saturday, India's last remaining contender at the Games – Reetika Hooda – will aim to add to the medal tally when she begins her campaign in the women's freestyle 76kg event.
Furthermore, India's hopes for another medal remain alive in wrestling after Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified ahead of her gold medal bout in women's 50kg event due to being found overweight, appealed against the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The institution accepted her appeal and on Friday, confirmed that it will hear both Vinesh and United World Wrestling (UWW) before issuing the final decision before the Olympics end.