New Delhi. When Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat stepped on the mat for the bronze medal play-off match at the Paris Olympics, he did not let any pressure build on himself and took it like a state level match. The 21-year-old, India’s youngest individual medal winner at the Paris Olympics, showed a glimpse of his strong mindset early in his career.
Aman told PTI video after returning from Paris, “First I thought, I am in the semi-finals and I have lost six points. Then I thought I have lost six points in an Olympic match, what should I do now? I told myself that this is not an Olympic match and I am still playing at the state level.” He said, “So I did not take it as an Olympic bronze medal match. To avoid putting pressure on myself, I thought I am playing in a state level match.”
When Aman (57 kg) was asked how he managed to lose weight before his bouts, he said, “It was not a big issue, we had already planned to lose weight and had gained about 3.5 kg. So I lost weight overnight and then went for the weigh-in.” Aman’s weight was 100 grams less than the prescribed limit. Female wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight.
On how he feels on becoming the youngest Indian player to win an Olympic medal, Aman said, “It feels great. Now my goal is to change the colour of the medal in the next Olympic Games. I will work hard for this. I will leave no stone unturned to win the gold medal.” Aman also thanked Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalist Ravi Dahiya for contributing to shaping his career.
He said, “Ravi Dahiya played an important role in my career. We would have followed his footsteps during practice and taken inspiration from him. This journey would have been more difficult for me but my brother Sagar took good care of me and never let me feel the absence of my parents.”