Aman wins maiden Asian Championships gold
The 19-year-old beat Kyrgyzstan's Almaz Smanbekov 9-4 to win India their lone gold at the ongoing championship.
Aman Sehrawat continued his rapid rise in the seniors circuit with a maiden Asian Championships gold in the 57kg category as India kicked off the freestyle leg of the competition in style, in Astana on Thursday.
The 19-year-old prevailed over Kyrgyzstan's Almaz Smanbekov 9-4 to win India their lone gold at the ongoing championship. The 57kg class has been a dominant division for India with Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya taking the yellow metal in three preceding years. With Dahiya still recovering from a knee injury, the onus was on Aman to ensure the title stayed with India, and the youngster didn't disappoint.
He beat Japan's Rikuto Arai 7-1 in his opening bout before trouncing China's world No 3 Wanhao Zou 7-4 to advance to the final.
"I thought the Chinese was a good wrestler. I always think that if they cannot put me in danger in par terre (on ground), I will win. If they score from par terre and the lead is too much, I won't be able to cover up. I am a little concerned about getting caught in a lace but as far as grappling from a standing position is concerned, I am sure I'll win," Aman said.
The final against the 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist turned out to be a thoroughly dominant performance from Aman whose relentless attacks kept him in the lead almost through the entirety of the out. The only time Smanbekov led was for the opening few seconds in the first period when Aman's attempted takedown was defended well by the 25-year-old who scored a brace on the counter.
{{/usCountry}}The final against the 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist turned out to be a thoroughly dominant performance from Aman whose relentless attacks kept him in the lead almost through the entirety of the out. The only time Smanbekov led was for the opening few seconds in the first period when Aman's attempted takedown was defended well by the 25-year-old who scored a brace on the counter.
{{/usCountry}}Another time Smanbekov's counter fetched him two points was in the second period when one of Aman's botched-up attacking moves was nipped by his opponent who proceeded to reduce the deficit.
{{/usCountry}}Another time Smanbekov's counter fetched him two points was in the second period when one of Aman's botched-up attacking moves was nipped by his opponent who proceeded to reduce the deficit.
{{/usCountry}}"I did watch his (Smanbekov's) bouts before the final and I knew he only has counters up his sleeve. But I thought I should keep trying to score. After I got countered twice, I put my head down and focussed," recalled Aman who won a bronze at this year's Zagreb Open.
{{/usCountry}}"I did watch his (Smanbekov's) bouts before the final and I knew he only has counters up his sleeve. But I thought I should keep trying to score. After I got countered twice, I put my head down and focussed," recalled Aman who won a bronze at this year's Zagreb Open.
{{/usCountry}}To his credit, the Indian came back each time he was countered. A double leg takedown put him in 5-2 lead, and when Smanbekov grabbed two points, Aman responded with another takedown to make it 7-4. He kept up the pressure and made it 9-4 with less than a minute on the clock. A cut on his right brow failed to deter him as Aman secured the biggest medal of his senior career.
"I realised he was tired when the third minute began. So, I knew that when he tries fake attacks, I have to counter."
Parveen Dahiya, Aman's coach in Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium, lauded his ward's effort although the medal didn't come as a surprise to him. "I knew he will come back with a gold. He is a world-class wrestler who has the potential to become the world beater," said Dahiya.
Lalit Kumar, another coach at Chhatrasal who regularly trains Aman, singled out his improved leg defence as a standout feature. "He has worked a lot on this aspect and hardly gave any points on defence. In the final, it appeared he was tiring a bit which is why he conceded points, but overall, it was a very confident show," he said.
Among other wrestlers in the fray, Deepak won a bronze in the 79 kg class beating Tajikistan's Shuhrat Bozorov by technical superiority (12-1). Anuj Kumar (65kg) and Mulayam Yadav (70kg) failed to make the medal rounds while Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Deepak Nehra lost his bronze medal bout (12-9) to Uzbekistan's Makhsud Veysalov.
