Asian Games 2026: Aman Sehrawat adds another gold, takes down North Korean opponent in men’s 57kg freestyle

Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat added another gold medal in the Indian contingent’s tally, thanks to a sensational performance which saw him beat People Republic of Korea’s Han Chong Song in men’s 57kg freestyle gold medal bout at the on-going 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya.

Aman Sehrawat was expected to clinch top spot on the podium and he did so without losing a single bout in the continental showpiece. Sehrawat had a few nervy moments in the finale after his counterpart went a point ahead towards the end of the second round but the 23-year-old saw off the pressure and prevailed in quite a closely fought bout.

Although the score line of 11-7 suggests a different story but Han Chong-song did terrifically well to stage a temporary comeback.

Aman, who won bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, found it difficult to get going early as North Korea’s Han focused on defence and repeatedly locked his arms to stop the Indian from making his moves.

Aman was put on the clock and used the opportunity to open the scoring. He followed it with a takedown to move 4-1 ahead. Another attack with his left leg brought him two more points as he threw Han to the mat and extended the lead to 6-1.

Han then received treatment for an injury to his left knee. After returning to the mat, he came out strongly and produced three straight scoring moves to turn the bout around. The North Korean moved ahead 7-6 and put Aman under pressure.

Aman stayed calm in the closing stages and responded with two more takedowns. That helped him regain the lead and he went on to win the bout 10-7 and claim the gold medal.

Han challenged the final point awarded to Aman, but the appeal was rejected. Aman was awarded another point, making the final score 10-7.

The 22-year-old had earlier secured his place in the final with a 14-8 win over Tajikistan’s Aiaal Belolyubskii in the semifinals.

He began his Asian Games campaign with a 20-9 technical superiority win against Japan’s Yamato Ogawa. Aman then defeated Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov in the quarterfinals.

Aman Sehrawat’s background and previous achievements

Aman Sehrawat comes from a very humble background. Born in Jhajjad, Haryana, the youngster lost his parents at a very tender age of just 10. It was because of his coach Lalit Kumar that Aman developed into a full fledged wrestler with his first major breakthrough coming in the U-17 2018 World Championships where he won a bronze.

In 2024, Aman won bronze in the Paris Olympics and has won several other honours in senior and age group competitions across the world.

Deepak Punia wins 97kg silver

Deepak Punia also clinched a historic silver medal after beating Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar by 2-1 in the men’s 97kg freestyle. These are back-to-back second place podium finishes for Deepak. He had a similar finish in the previous Asian Games edition at Hangzhou.