Wrestler Aman Sehrawat Claims Gold at 2026 Asian Games

Aman Sehrawat won the men's freestyle 57kg gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games by defeating North Korea's Han Chong Song 11-7 in the final match. The 23-year-old wrestler upgraded the bronze he won at Hangzhou 2022 and added to the bronze medal he secured at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This victory marks India's fourth wrestling medal of the event and their second gold. Sujeet Kalkal won gold in the men's freestyle 65kg category on Friday with a come-from-behind win against Tajikistan's Abdulmajid Kudiyev. Nitesh claimed silver in the men's 97kg greco-roman event, becoming the first Indian silver medallist in that style at the games, while Sunil Kumar won bronze in the men's greco-roman 87kg class. Sehrawat previously became the first Indian to win gold at the Under-23 World Championships in 2022 and also took gold at the 2023 Asian Championships. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, he became the youngest Indian to win an individual Olympic medal at 21 years and 24 days old. Born in Haryana's Birohar village, Sehrawat was orphaned at age 11 after losing both of his parents. He was later brought to the Chhatrasal academy under a residential programme where coaches took him in to provide him with daily meals before he dedicated himself to rigorous wrestling training.

Context

Major multi-sport events like the Asian Games serve as a major platform for athletes to build upon their previous Olympic and world championship success. Wrestlers from India have historically trained at grassroots residential academies such as Chhatrasal to develop elite-level talent for international competitions.