Olympics 2024: 'Raw but Ready' - Yogeshwar Dutt On Aman Sehrawat's Olympic Prospects

Add as a preferred source on Google

As Aman Sehrawat gears up for his first Olympic appearance at Paris 2024, wrestling icon Yogeshwar Dutt shares his thoughts on the young athlete's journey and prospects.

With an impressive track record that includes winning the Under-23 World Championships in 2022, Asian Games bronze in 2023 and the Asian Championships gold in 2023, Aman is undeniably in top form.

"Any wrestler who goes to the Olympics, the pressure is on them. Every wrestler dreams of winning a medal in the Olympics. Every competition has a pressure but the Olympic pressure is different," said 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt.

"I have played in four Olympics. I have experienced all that. I would like to say one thing to all the wrestlers. When you go to the field, to the arena or to the mat, don't take any pressure. Try to give 100 percent and leave it to God," Dutt further reflected on the unique challenges of the Olympic stage.

Aman's recent accolades include a gold medal at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series tournament, securing the Paris Olympics quota in the World Qualifiers in Istanbul, and a silver medal at the Budapest Ranking Series in 2024.

Despite his youth and relatively limited experience at the senior level, his achievements speak volumes about his potential. "When you talk about Aman, he's very raw and he is very new to the senior competitions but he has given very good performances." Yogeshwar said.

"He has won the medal in Asian Games and in the Asian Championships. He is a junior World champion. He has very little experience at the international and senior level but we have faith in Aman Sehrawat and he has trained with Ravi Kumar Dahiya in the same stadium (Chhatrasal) for 17 years," Dutt added.

The Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi, renowned for producing Olympic medalists like Sushil Kumar and Ravi Dahiya, has been Aman's training ground. This legacy adds to the optimism surrounding his Olympic debut.

"The good thing is that all the Olympic medalists, including me, Sushil Kumar, and Ravi Dahiya, have come from the same stadium. So, it's a plus point that in the previous Olympics, Chhatrasal Stadium has produced medalists, and he can win a medal as well," the 41-year-old said.

Aman Sehrawat's journey to the Olympics is set to be a challenging one, with tough potential matchups against seasoned wrestlers like Arsen Harutyunyan and Rei Higuchi. However, with guidance from seasoned athletes and his proven track record, Aman stands as a promising contender to bring glory to India on the Olympic stage.