Aichi-Nagoya: Indian wrestler Aman Sehrawat clinched the men’s freestyle 57kg gold medal at the Asian Games on Saturday, overcoming North Korea’s Chong Song Han in a dramatic final.
Aman initially focused on defending against Han’s attacks on his left leg, with neither wrestler able to score in the opening exchanges. After being penalised for passivity, the Indian responded with a takedown and added another before the break to establish a 4-1 lead.
He extended the advantage to 6-1 early in the second period, but Han mounted a strong comeback. The North Korean scored six points in quick succession through a takedown and roll to move 7-6 ahead.
With the contest turning in Han’s favour, Aman produced the decisive move, scoring four points through a takedown and roll to regain the lead at 10-7. He then gained another point following an unsuccessful challenge from his opponent and held on to secure the victory.
Aman’s gold is India’s second wrestling gold at the ongoing Games, following Sujeet Kalkal’s triumph on Friday.
India also added to its medal haul on Saturday, with Kumkum Mohod and Pranavi Urs winning gold in women’s recurve archery and individual golf respectively, while the men’s cricket team also secured the T20 gold. Pranavi, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar won silver in the women’s team golf event, while Neeraj Chauhan claimed bronze in men’s individual recurve archery.
In wrestling, Antim Panghal advanced to the women’s 53kg quarterfinals and Manisha reached the 57kg semifinals, while other Indian grapplers also remained involved in the knockout stages. India also finished sixth in men’s volleyball and women’s rugby sevens, while Kashish Malik and Jyoti Yadav exited the taekwondo competition in the round of 16.
