New Delhi: “Asan hota toh sab kar lete!” that’s what a young Aman Sehrawat had written beside his bed at the Chatrasal stadium. It seems that prophecy has finally been fulfilled as he became the youngest Indian Olympic medalist in the Paris Olympics in 2024. From losing his parents at the young age of 11 years to being an Olympic champion later on, the journey of Aman is a testimony of hard work and perseverance.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Aman Sehrawat to congratulate him on winning the Bronze medal in the men’s freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics 2024. pic.twitter.com/A2MGFYejEE
— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2024
However, do you know that this dream of Aman was very close to being washed away due to a weight problem? Sehrawat could have been the second wrestler after Vinesh Phogat to bow down from the tournament due to a faulty weight measurement. Here’s how he managed to overcome that problem.
How did Aman managed to overcome the ‘Olympic AXE’?
Aman had 4.5 kg extra before the start of his bronze medal bout against Darian of Puerto Rico. Sehrawat ended up shedding 4.6 kgs through the right form of diet and weight training in the initial hours before his bout. The coaches and support staff who are part of the wrestling contingent did not want another case like that of Vinesh where a wrestler is disqualified for weight issues. Subsequently, the coaches stay put the entire night to help Sehrawat shed those extra kgs.
Aman began with an intense training of 1.5 hr of mat training where he was engaged in ‘standing wrestling’. This was followed by a 1 hr hot bath and treadmill run to exert more pressure on the muscles and the subsequent cardio. Subsequently, he took a 30-minute pause to relax the fatigued muscles. Post that he was sent to a 5-minute Sauna session and after that, his body weight was checked. Upon checking it was found that he still was 900gms over.
Extremely humbled by the support and wishes that have been pouring in. This is something that I’ve always dreamt of. Proud to perform at the biggest stage for my country 🇮🇳 ❤️#AmanSehrawat pic.twitter.com/2XiAOgZ1lC
— Aman Sehrawat 🧢 (@AmanSehrawat57) August 9, 2024
The coaches then made the 21-year-old undergo light jogging and 5 running sessions of 15 minutes each which went till 4:30 am. This finally reduced the weight to 56.9kg. Amidst all this strength training, Sehrawat was given lukewarm water with lemon, honey and a bit of coffee to keep his body hydrated. This strenuous effort finally paid off and he was able to win the bronze for his country finally.