 "I shed 4.6 kg before Olympic match; it was challenging: Wrestler Sehrawat")
Aman Sehrawat, 21, became India's youngest Olympic medallist when he won bronze in the men's wrestling 57 kg freestyle category in Paris. He ensured that the Indian wrestling contingent has won at least one medal in every Olympic Game since Beijing 2008.
Sehrawat, who is the under-23 World Champion, started training at Chhatrasal stadium in Delhi when he was 10 years old. A year later his parents died and the stadium, where scores of other medal-winning wrestlers have trained, became a second home for Sehrawat. At Paris, he defeated Vladimir Egorov (Macedonia) and Zelimkhan Abakarov (Russian-Albanian wrestler) in the pre-quarter final and quarter final bouts and then beat Puerto Rico's Darian Cruz in the bronze medal match. He missed out on gold after being beaten by Japan's Rei Higuchi, world number one wrestler, in the semifinals.
Sehrawat, in an interview with Shashwat Nishant at Chhatrasal stadium, talked about his wrestling strategy.
Excerpts from the interview:
Excerpts from the interview:
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After your first three bouts at the Paris event, you had to shed more than 4 kg of weight before the weigh-in the next morning. How tough was it?
I have done a weight cut like this before, but then again whenever you have to undergo a cut like this it is very challenging, and you don't even get to sleep the night before it. However, I managed to cut 4.6 kg and make the weight on the day.
After you won your medal at the Olympics, what was going on in your mind when you went to your room?
There wasn't much going on in my head at that time as I was already tired after the weight cut session and my bout. I didn't even check my phone that night and went straight to bed. It was the next day that I checked my phone and replied to all the warm wishes from people.
You're the world Number 2 in your category. Do rankings matter, or do you just have the next tournament in mind?
No, I just focus on the tournament next in line, as a good performance or a medal in it will automatically improve my ranking in the end.
You were 10 when you first came here. How would you sum up your journey at Chhatrasal?
As you know, my parents passed away when I was 11. (The year before) my father left me at Chhatrasal, telling me that I had to become a wrestler. Since then, I haven’t looked back and tried to work as hard as possible to make my nation proud.
You dedicate a lot of extra hours on the mat apart from your regular workouts. How did you decide that you have to work out more than others?
This feeling came after I saw my seniors dedicate the extra hours here. The likes of Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia, among others, would be seen training no matter what time it was, which inspired me to work extra hard as well.
Being the only male wrestler representing India at the Paris Olympics must have brought some nerves.
When it comes to pressure, the athletes who have previously won a medal for the country are more in the spotlight than someone like me who was making his debut at the Olympics. Because of this, I didn't feel a great amount of pressure going into the first bout.
Having an Olympic silver medallist like Ravi Dahiya beside you before you made your Olympic debut must have felt nice.
Yes, I had a chat with him before going to Paris. He just told me to focus on my strengths and don't think too much about the opponent.
Did you ever think of picking techniques from other wrestlers to improve your game?
Too much change at this level isn't good for your technique. So, I only work on improving my techniques and making them as perfect as I can.
We already know you watch 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' (a TV comedy series). Is there any sport you like to watch or play in your free time?
Yes, I like to play basketball in my free time here. Me, Ravi Dahiya, and others play together sometimes as well.