Aman Sehrawat etched his name into the annals of Indian wrestling history by becoming the youngest Indian to secure a medal at the Paris Olympics. His bronze win in the men’s 57 kg category was a moment of national pride, but the journey to that podium was anything but easy.
The young wrestler had to endure a grueling and nerve-wracking weight loss regimen, shedding an astounding 4.6 kilograms in just 10 hours. This remarkable feat was driven by the fear of disqualification—a fate that had recently befallen fellow Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who missed her medal match due to being overweight by a mere 100 grams.
How old was Aman Sehrawat as he secured the Bronze in Paris Olympics?
India’s youngest athlete to win a medal at the Summer Games, Aman Sehrawat, at 21 years and 24 days old, surpassed PV Sindhu’s record of 21 years, one month, and 14 days when she claimed the silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
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A Grueling 10-Hour Battle Against the Scale
The weight-loss ordeal began immediately after Aman Sehrawat’s semifinal loss to Japan’s Rei Higuchi on Thursday evening. At 6:30 PM, the scales showed 61.5 kg, a figure that spelt trouble for the young wrestler who needed to weigh in at 57 kg the following morning to remain eligible for his bronze medal match. With the clock ticking, the responsibility of helping Sehrawat shed the excess weight fell on the shoulders of his coaches, Virender Dahiya and Jagmander Singh, who braced themselves for an all-night battle against the scales.
The weight-cutting routine commenced with an intense one-and-a-half-hour mat session under the watchful eyes of the coaches. This was followed by a one-hour hot bath to encourage further sweat loss. As the night progressed, the intensity only escalated. A 30-minute non-stop treadmill session at midnight pushed Sehrawat closer to his goal, but the battle was far from over.
Tense Moments as the Clock Ticked
After a brief 30-minute rest, Sehrawat underwent five rounds of five-minute sauna baths, a common yet punishing method to sweat out the remaining water weight. These sessions, combined with the earlier exertions, helped him shed 3.6 kg by the early hours of the morning. However, he was still above the permissible limit, and the risk of disqualification loomed large.
With only a few hours left before the weigh-in, the coaches pushed on with a massage session, light jogging, and a final 15-minute run. By 4:30 AM, Aman Sehrawat’s weight had dropped to 56.9 kg—just 100 grams under the required limit. The narrow margin offered little relief to the Indian camp, but it was enough to keep Sehrawat in the competition.
An All-Night Vigil for a Medal
The physical exertion was only one part of the struggle; the psychological toll was immense. Coach Virender Dahiya, who had seen countless weight cuts in his career, admitted to the anxiety that gripped the team. “I watched videos of wrestling bouts the whole night. We kept checking his weight every hour. We didn’t sleep the whole night, not even during the day,” Dahiya recounted. The tension was palpable, heightened by the recent memory of Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification. Another missed medal opportunity was a scenario the team simply could not afford.
The night was a testament to the resilience and determination of both Sehrawat and his coaching team. The rigorous weight-cutting regime, though routine in the world of wrestling, took on a different dimension under the high stakes of the Olympics. Every gram mattered, and the team was acutely aware of the fine line between success and disqualification.
Victory Against All Odds for Aman Sehrawat
As dawn broke over Paris, Aman Sehrawat stood on the brink of history. Exhausted but determined, he gained weight and subsequently secured his bronze medal defeating Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz, etching his name in the history books as the youngest Indian to achieve such a feat at the Olympics. The medal was not just a reward for his wrestling prowess but also for his ability to endure the extreme physical and mental demands that the situation required.
Aman Sehrawat’s journey to bronze is a story of grit, determination, and the will to overcome the odds. The weight loss ordeal may have been a harrowing experience, but it underscored the lengths to which athletes go to chase their dreams. For Sehrawat, the bronze medal was more than just a piece of metal—it was the culmination of a night spent fighting not just an opponent, but the scales, time, and his own physical limits.
