Paris Olympics medallist Aman seals worlds berth

young new delhi: As republic of india’s freestyle rassling goes through and through a period of transition, Aman Sehrawat has single-handedly kept the flag flying. He was the only Indian wrestler to return with a medal from the Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old will again carry the nation’s hopes in the men’s section at the upcoming World Championships in Zagreb in September.

A bronze at the Asian Games (2022) and gold at the 2023 Asian Championships ahead of the Paris performance highlight his consistency at major events.

On Monday, Aman sailed through the selection trials in Lucknow, securing the berth in the 57kg category, defeating Sumit and Rahul by technical superiority.

Another prominent name in the 10-member men’s freestyle team is World Championships and Asian Games medallist Deepak Punia, who will compete in the 92kg class. The promising Sujeet Kalkal won the trials in the 65kg category.

This will be Sehrawat’s maiden appearance at the World Championships but he welcomes the pressure, saying it keeps him motivated.

“The admiration and support I receive give me the energy to perform on the mat, so I’m fine with the pressure. As an Olympic medallist, I understand that people expect me to return with a medal from the World Championships, and I will give my best shot for gold,” Sehrawat told HT.

“I have worked hard on my defence during training stints in Japan and Russia. I got to spar with some strong international wrestlers, which really helped. My leg defence has been a weak area, and I’ve worked extremely hard to improve it. The worlds will be a good test,” he said.

It has been a tough season for Sehrawat. He struggled with injury and took time to return to the mat. “There was a problem with my knee at the start of the year, so I didn’t compete in the trials for the Asian Championships. I wanted to be fully fit before making a comeback. It was important to get some practice before the worlds, so I competed in the Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series.”

Sehrawat won bronze at that tournament and was happy with his progress. “I was competing after almost a year. It was an opportunity to get back on the mat and test my fitness, so I was satisfied with the result.”

“I’ve been working on my fitness, and today I felt good on the mat. In the 57kg, there are some strong wrestlers — Olympic gold medallist Rei Higuchi of Japan and silver medallist Spencer Lee from the USA. I’ll have to see who all are competing at the worlds this time, but I feel I have a good chance,” said Sehrawat, who trains at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium.

Among the new faces, Sujeet and Udit (61kg) are expected to put up strong performances. Sujeet has shown good form internationally and recently impressed at the ranking series in Hungary, winning the top prize. Udit claimed silver at the Senior Asian Championships and the 2025 Ulaanbaatar Open. The worlds will be a valuable testing ground for these young talents.

Team: Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Udit (61kg), Sujeet Kalkal (65kg), Rohit (70kg), Jaideep (74kg), Amit (79kg), Mukul (86kg), Deepak Punia (92kg), Vickey (97kg), Rajat (125kg).

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