Aman Sehrawat’s Paris bronze adds another glorious chapter to Chhatrasal’s incredible legacy

New Delhi: With Aman Sehrawat winning a bronze medal in wrestling at the Paris Olympics 2024, the great saga of the iconic Chhatrasal Stadium of Delhi continues. The venue is known for producing quality wrestlers who eventually become Olympic champions and Aman is the latest entry in the ground’s incredible legacy. The Haryana boy clinched the medal on Friday after winning the bronze playoff on Friday, giving India their sixth medal of the Games.

Competing in the men’s freestyle 57kg category, Aman brought India’s first medal in the sport at the ongoing Games and claimed his maiden Olympic medal as well in his first-ever outing at the Summer Games itself. It was a fifth bronze for India and a sixth overall medal which bettered India’s performance a bit in the French capital. But… Aman’s triumph at the biggest sporting spectacle is a testament to the enriching history of Chhatrasal, a place where many of India’s ace wrestlers honed their skills on the mat.

The 21-year-old wrestler took off his campaign on a promising note as he defeated Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia 10-0 in the pre-quarterfinal and followed it up with a quarterfinal win against Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania 12-0, advancing to the semifinal. He had his eyes set on the wrestling gold but couldn’t proceed further from his semifinal bout where he was defeated 10-0 by Japan’s Rei Higuchi.

He nonetheless qualified for the bronze medal match where he downed Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico 13-5 and became the youngest ever Indian Olympic champion aged 21 years, 0 months, and 24 days. For the record, he surpassed ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who previously held the record when she won silver at the Rio Olympics 2016 at the age of 21 years, 1 month, and 14 days.

The Chhatrasal Stadium too has played a part in Sehrawat’s Olympic journey to Paris as he made a name for himself and also continued the venue’s legacy.

Orphaned at 11, taking mat in Chhatrasal

Aman had lost his parents to different medical conditions at the tender age of 11 and was raised by his grandfather, Mangeram Sehrawat. Getting inspired by two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, Aman got his calling and made his way to the storied halls of Chhatrasal in 2014. Hailing from Birohar village of Jhajjar in Haryana, Aman got enrolled at the stadium situated in North Delhi – a venue where he continues to train to date. The venue is known for producing multiple Olympic medallists – one of which is Aman now, as it turned out to be.

Chhatrasal ‘akhara’ legacy

Situated in the Model Town vicinity of the Gujranwala Town in Delhi, the Chhatrasal Stadium is famous for producing ace wrestlers such as Yogeshwar Dutt, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Sushil Kumar, Bajrang Punia, Amit Kumar Dahiya, and now Aman Sehrawat, who became the fifth Olympic medallist from Chhatrasal “akhara”. Apart from Amit, who has a gold to his credit in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the rest five have brought laurels for the nation in the Olympics.

Yogeshwar won a bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012 in the 60kg category while Ravi (57kg) and Bajrang (65kg) won a silver and a bronze medal respectively at the Tokyo Games 2020. The venue also saw the training of Sushil who shined for the nation at the Olympics not once but twice. He bagged a bronze medal in the 66kg category at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and bettered himself with a silver medal in London Games 2012.

Chhatrasal has become the powerhouse of Indian wrestling, nurturing and bringing forth some of the finest athletes of the nation and continuing the legacy that the place has built over decades. The ground once served as an underground parking space but has now evolved into a pious space for training wrestlers. Aman’s victory isn’t just about clinching a medal but also about continuing the tradition of the place that quietly trains the grapplers and boasts a thriving history in the underground halls.

The next generation training at the place surely has a bright future ahead as it is the enriching history of the place that will mould them into becoming one of the best, other than the usual training.

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 Aman Sehrawat’s bronze medal triumph at the Paris Olympics 2024 weighed in on the shining legacy of Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium as the venue continues to produce wrestling Olympic champions for India.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today