Aman Sherawat became the first Indian wrestler to be crowned champion at the World under-23 championships in Pontevedra, Spain.
A two-time World under-17 bronze medallist and current Asian under-23 champion, Aman rallied from 0-2 in the first period to beat Ahmet Duman of Turkey 12-4 in the final and secure the men’s 57kg freestyle World title.
Aman, hailing from Bhirod village of Jhajjar district in Haryana, showcased his swift footwork to defend well and relied on a series of fast attacks to garner points with six sprightly takedowns and record a convincing victory.
Earlier, Aman defeated Sri Lanka’s Hansana Ganegodage 11-0, Japan’s Toshiya Abe 13-2 and Kyrgyzstan’s Bekzat Uulu 10-5 to make it to the title clash.
The 19-year-old from Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium, who idolizes two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and is a keen competitor of his akhara mate Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya, was determined to take the gold.
“I am the Asian under-23 champion, I will try to win World under-23 gold as well. My result will tell everyone what kind of hard work I have put in,” Aman had told The Hindu, after claiming the National Games gold in Gandhinagar, just before leaving for Spain.
Aman was the only Indian men’s freestyle wrestler to compete in the World event as others selected for the championships could not reach Spain due to visa issues.
