New Delhi [India]: Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat on Tuesday in the national capital. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya was also present on the occasion.
Sehrawat received a warm welcome at the Delhi Airport on Tuesday after his bronze medal triumph.
Sehrawat, who made his Olympic debut, secured the medal with a 13-5 victory over Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz and won India’s first wrestling medal at the Paris 2024 Games. At 21 years, he also became the youngest Indian athlete to win a medal at the Olympics.
A huge crowd gathered at the Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport to welcome the Olympic bronze medallist.
“I will now train for the upcoming tournaments. I will work hard to win the gold medal at the LA Olympics 2028,” Aman told media.
Aman’s grandfather Mange Ram is hopeful that his grandson will return with a gold medal in the next Olympics, “I am very happy. He made the entire nation proud and will surely win the gold medal at LA Olympics 2028.”
Aman’s coach Lalit Kumar was also confident that the wrestler will bring gold at the LA 28 Olympics.
“I am very happy as Aman has won an Olympic medal for the nation. We concentrated on increasing his attacking power and in the Olympics also he won most of the bouts with a big lead. We have set a target of winning the gold medal at the LA Olympics 2028,” Lalit said.
Later on Tuesday, Delhi LG Vinay Saxena also felicitated Aman for his historic triumph at the Paris Olympics.
Talking to the media at the airport, Aman reflected on his triumph. “I am very happy and I still can’t believe that I have won a medal for the country at the Olympics. I was hoping for the gold but I am happy with bronze as well. It was a speechless moment when I stood on the podium. From today, my next target will be to prepare for the 2028 Olympics and 2026 Asian Games,” he said.
During his bronze medal match, the Puerto Rican grappler initially gained the lead by securing a point with a single-leg hold. However, Aman came back strong scoring points by targeting Darian Cruz’s shoulders.
After Darian Cruz took the lead with a two-point move, Aman regained control. With 37 seconds left, Aman secured additional points and won the bout with technical superiority as Darian Cruz attempted a desperate move and conceded another point.