The only man in India’s six-man contingent at the Paris Olympics, wrestling in a category where a certain Ravi Dahiya won a silver medal in Tokyo and coming from a place – Chhatrasal Stadium – that has already given India four Olympic medallists, the pressure was there, the eyes were on him and Aman Sehrawat took advantage of that to not let the country’s winning streak in wrestling since 2008 be broken.
At just 21, Sehrawat has already inspired a nation with her journey as she battled depression after losing her parents at a young age and it was there that wrestling came to her rescue. Sehrawat was naturally disappointed that she couldn’t get the gold this time around but given her age and the stage of life she is at, there is a universe to win and there are no limits.
Last week, Sehrawat sat down with India TV for a fireside chat at the Chhatrasal Stadium, the pioneer of Indian wrestling, and spoke at length. (Excerpts from the interview (translated from Haryanvi/Hindi)
Q: It’s been a couple of weeks now. Have you already come to terms with the feeling that you’re now an Olympic medallist?
TO: The love I have received from the people, many of them came to meet me at the airport and gave me a very warm welcome and also came to my room to give me their blessings, so now I feel that yes, I have done something for the country.
Q: Going into Paris, your first Olympics, did you have any expectations or pressure of any kind given that Chhatrasal had given India medallists in the past like Yogeshwar Dutt, Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia?
TO: I was under pressure, not because it was my first Olympics, but because I was the only male wrestler. Hopes were pinned on me as India has been consistently winning medals in wrestling. So I also had in my mind that I have a responsibility now. But my only focus was to give 100 per cent and let the result come by itself.
Q: Did you feel any pressure on yourself?
TO: I think during the fight, especially against the Japanese fighter when I lost four points, that’s when I felt real pressure. Suddenly, I thought, “All of India is watching me,” and there were a lot of Indian people in the crowd. I got tired and the fight went in his favor.
In the bronze medal fight, I was a little careful. [pressure]So I told myself, “Don’t think that you are playing in the Olympics, just think of it as another state-level fight and just focus on wrestling and ignore the outside noise.”
Q: You’ve been fighting for 10 or 12 years, was there a particular moment that gave you an indication that this is what I have to do for the rest of my life?
TO: I think my love for wrestling was always there, but when I told my dad in 2014 that I had to do this before coming here, my dad said wrestling wasn’t possible there. [in our village] With limited facilities. To become a good fighter, I had to be placed in a good centre before I was left here with Sushil pehlwan and Satpal pehlwan, unka toh naam suna hi hoya tha.
Q: Tell me about the challenges of having to fight three fights in one day, physically and mentally, because I assume the stakes and pressure keep increasing with each one.
TO: The pressure is already huge, and at the Olympic level it is even greater. At the Olympics, winning even one fight is a huge achievement. That is why I think anxiety or fear only exists until the referee’s whistle blows, once the fight starts there is no such thing as fear or pressure. After that, only my hard work and everything I have learned will work.
Q: You mentioned Rei Higuchi, the Japanese wrestler earlier, I’m sure there was disappointment as soon as he lost his semi-final fight, but was there just disappointment or had you already started looking forward to the bronze medal fight?
TO: The disappointment was there, but the most important thing for me was to fight for bronze. First I had to get my weight down to 57 kg. I had gained a little more than 3.5 kg and so, in order to achieve it before 7 o’clock the next morning, I had to train all night.
Q: So does this second weigh-in only happen at the Olympics or at other championships as well?
A: At the Asian Championships, you only have to do it once, but at the Olympics and the World Championships, where the competition is held on the second day, you get your weight checked twice. At the Asian Championships, all the bouts are held on one day.
Q: You have an Olympic medal in your hands, you are number 2 in the world at 57kg, so many awards and positions have already been announced for you. How do you see your journey from where you were when you were battling depression to where you are now? How do you feel?
TO: I think it’s just happiness. For what I was and for all the love I’ve received from people and the hope they’ve put in me that I’ll do well in the future as well. So I’m very happy, but now I also have an extra responsibility because people tell me, “You’re only 21 and you have to get a gold medal at the Olympics.” So hopefully I’ll keep trying.
Q: You are 21 now, what advice would Aman give to his 11-year-old self at 21?
A: I would only give one piece of advice: don’t worry, work hard and do your best and the result will come by itself.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.