‘I Couldn’t Accept That Loss’: Aman Sehrawat Turns Hangzhou Heartbreak Into Asian Games Gold

Nagoya, Oct 4: Aman Sehrawat had not forgotten what happened at the previous Asian Games. Three years after a narrow semifinal defeat in Hangzhou left him with bronze, the Indian wrestler returned to the Asian stage with one objective - to finish on top.

On Saturday, he did exactly that.

The Paris Olympic bronze medallist stormed to his maiden Asian Games gold in the men's 57kg freestyle wrestling category, defeating North Korea's reigning world champion Han Chong-song 11-7 in a gripping final.

"For me, finally, Asian Games gold has come. It was Olympic bronze, Asian Games bronze and today it's gold," Sehrawat said after his victory.

Three years ago in Hangzhou, Sehrawat had come agonisingly close to the final. He lost his 57kg semifinal to Japan's Toshihiro Hasegawa 10-12 on points before recovering to beat China's Liu Minghu 11-0 by technical superiority and claim the bronze medal.

That narrow semifinal defeat stayed with him.

"I had a lot of loss in the last Asian Games. I couldn't accept that loss. I gave six points in the last Asian Games. I lost a lot of points. I couldn't accept that I lost," Sehrawat said.

This time, he was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

"This was the plan. I won't make the same mistake in the next Asian Games. I will make a comeback from the start," he added.

A final that kept changing

The gold-medal bout against Han was a test of Sehrawat's composure as much as his wrestling.

He admitted that there was some confusion during the contest, but he managed to regain control.

"It was a very good match. Our planning was similar to today's match, but there was a little confusion in the middle of the match. Fortunately, I made some balance in my way," he said.

Sehrawat also made a conscious effort to change one aspect of his approach - taking the lead early rather than allowing his opponent to dictate the opening exchanges.

"This time I improved a little," he said.

Han fought back after Sehrawat's strong start, but the Indian stayed composed and regained control to close out an 11-7 victory and secure the gold.

For Sehrawat, it was another reminder of how far he had come since Hangzhou.

A year of setbacks before the comeback

The road to Nagoya was particularly difficult for Sehrawat.

After his Olympic bronze in Paris, he endured a difficult 2025, with a stomach ailment affecting his preparations and keeping him out of important competitions.

He was selected for the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, but his campaign ended before he could wrestle. Sehrawat failed to make the 57kg weight limit and was forced to forfeit his opening bout against Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia.

Sehrawat later explained that a stomach problem had disrupted his final attempt to lose weight. He had been around 600-700 grams over the limit when the problem struck and was unable to complete his weight cut.

It was a particularly painful setback because Han Chong-song, the North Korean wrestler Sehrawat would eventually face in the Asian Games final, went on to win the 2025 World Championship title in the same 57kg category.

"I had a bout with the world champion. He was the world champion. I lost that opportunity. It was a good opportunity," Sehrawat said.

A year after missing out on the World Championships because of his weight problem, Sehrawat returned to the mat and defeated the wrestler who had become world champion.

'Just fight for yourself'

His comeback to the top has been built around a change in mindset.

After returning from the World Championships, Sehrawat said his coach (Emzarios "Shako" Bentinidis) told him to stop worrying about the names on the other side of the mat.

"I didn't think about anything. My coach told me not to think about anyone. I didn't think about anyone," Sehrawat said.

"I didn't think about who I will face in the next Asian Games. He just told me to fight for myself. Don't think about anyone else. Just fight for yourself."

That approach was particularly important after a difficult period in 2025.

Paris bronze changed his priorities

Sehrawat arrived in Nagoya as a Paris Olympic bronze medallist - an achievement that brought recognition, attention and a stream of programmes and engagements.

But the wrestler said he gradually began turning down those commitments because he wanted to focus on a much bigger objective.

"I used to come and go a lot, but I stopped practising. I used to practise whenever I had time. But after that I cancelled a lot of programmes," he said.

"I thought my target is Olympic gold. So I cancelled a lot of programmes. I am not going to my programmes. I am going to my target."

The Paris bronze had already established Sehrawat as one of India's leading young wrestlers. The Asian Games gold now adds another major title to his growing resume.

Four months of discipline for 57kg

Making the 57kg limit had been another challenge for Sehrawat, particularly during the period when he was dealing with his stomach problem.

He said the problem was no longer affecting his ability to lose weight and that a structured diet plan helped him manage the category.

"I didn't have this problem before. But at that time I had a stomach problem. That's why I couldn't lose weight. Now I can lose weight without any problem," he said.

The Indian wrestler revealed that he followed a four-month diet plan prepared with the help of his nutritionist.

"I had a diet plan for four months. I followed the same diet plan as our nutritionist," he said.

The weight cut also demanded significant sacrifices. "I used to weigh 57kg. I didn't drink water," Sehrawat said.

'What will be more competition than this?'

The quality of the 57kg field made Sehrawat's gold even more satisfying.

The category featured a combination of Olympic medallists, a world champion and an Asian champion. "In our weight, there were two Olympic medallists, one world champion, one Asian champion. What will be more competition than this?" he said.

"This is the biggest competition in Asian Games. Never before in the world."

His words underline the significance of what he achieved in Nagoya. This was not simply a case of improving on his Hangzhou bronze. Sehrawat defeated the reigning world champion in the final after surviving a contest in which the momentum repeatedly shifted.

And for a wrestler who had spent three years carrying the memory of a 10-12 semifinal defeat, the significance was even greater.