Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat has reached the semi-finals of the 57kg category freestyle wrestling event. He conclusively defeated Russian wrestler Abakarov Zelimkhan by 12-0 at the Paris Olympics 2024. Aman will now compete against Japanese wrestler Rei Higuchi in the semi-finals later tonight. The 21-year-old will confirm India a silver medal if he registers a win in the semis. This triumph has come as a little bit of relief and optimism for the Indian camp, especially in light of the calamitous situation surrounding Vinesh Phogat.
The lone male Indian wrestler adopted a more aggressive approach in the second half after starting cautiously in the first half of his bout. From the outset, Aman Sehrawat didn’t let his opponent take any advantage over him. He successfully gained an early lead of 1-0 after executing a magnificent single-leg takedown. Aman advantageously trapped the Russian wrestler again in another single-leg takedown and rolled over him thrice to advance his lead to 11-0 and win the game by technical superiority.
The young Indian wrestler will now face a more fearsome challenger in Rei Higuchi, the silver medalist from the Rio Olympics 2016 in the same category. The Japanese wrestler also won the gold medal in the 61kg event at the World Wrestling Championships 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. In the quarterfinals, Higuchi registered an easy game against Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico by 12-2 with technical superiority.
Aman Sehrawat Lifts India’s Optimism Again After Vinesh Phogat’s Unfortunate Fiasco
On Wednesday, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Games hours before her gold-medal match. Vinesh was competing in the 50kg freestyle category and was found overweight by 100 grams during the weigh-in hours before the final game. According to the rules, Vinesh was also deprived of her assured silver medal and ranked last in the category.
It would’ve been India’s fourth medal, first other than bronze, at the ongoing Paris Games. The news of the disqualification of the 29-year-old woman wrestler caused a wave of shock and dejection across India. What could’ve been a possible gold medal turned into a nightmare for Vinesh and the whole country.
However, with the victory of Aman Sehrawat, the nation of more than a billion has found some optimism again in an ill-fated campaign at the Paris Olympics. India has won only three medals, all bronze, hitherto and most of the events have already been completed. India’s most medal prospects including the likes of Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, and Mirabai Chanu have gone empty with a lot of players finishing on the fourth.
Apart from Aman Sehrawat, India also hopes for medals from Neeraj Chopra who will compete in the finals of the javelin throw event tonight at 11:45. The Indian hockey team will also compete in a bronze medal match against Spain in the evening.
