Before his bronze medal play-off, Aman Sehrawat faced a significant challenge after his semifinal loss on Thursday, August 8. He weighed 61.5kg, which was 4.5kg over the permissible limit for the men’s 57kg category. With only 10 hours to shed the extra weight, Aman relied heavily on the expertise of his Indian coaches, Jagmander Singh and Virender Dahiya, who were determined to help him meet the weight requirement before the next weigh-in.
In the world of wrestling, staying within the weight limit has become a crucial focus, particularly after the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat. She was removed from the women’s 50kg final for being just 100g over the limit during the second-day weigh-in. Now, her fate lies with the Court of Arbitration of Sport, where she awaits a decision on her appeal for a joint-silver medal. For Jagmander and Dahiya, avoiding another disqualification was paramount as they guided Aman through the weight loss process.
The situation grew more urgent after Aman, just 21 years old, lost his semifinal match to Japan’s Rei Higuchi around 6:30 pm. With little time to lose, Aman and his coaches launched into a rigorous weight-cutting regimen, determined to avoid a repeat of Vinesh’s unfortunate experience.
PTI later detailed the intense process Aman underwent to meet the weight requirement.
Aman’s weight-loss journey began with a 1.5-hour mat session focused on standing wrestling, guided by his senior coaches. This was followed by a 1-hour hot bath to induce sweating. At 12:30 am, they moved to the gym, where Aman ran on the treadmill for an hour to continue the weight loss process. After a brief 30-minute break, he underwent five 5-minute sauna sessions to shed more weight. Despite these efforts, Aman was still 900g over the limit. He received a massage and engaged in light jogging, as recommended by his coaches. To finish, Aman completed five 15-minute running sessions. By 4:30 am, his weight had dropped to 56.9kg, 100g below the limit. Throughout these activities, Aman stayed hydrated with lukewarm water mixed with lemon, honey, and a touch of coffee.
Aman remained awake the entire night, watching wrestling videos to stay alert until the weigh-in. Coach Dahiya revealed that they monitored his weight every hour, not allowing themselves any rest.
Weight cutting is a normal process for us, but the situation with Vinesh added a lot of pressure. Losing another medal was not an option, explained Dahiya.
Aman’s dedication and the coaches’ relentless efforts paid off, as he went on to secure the first medal for India’s wrestling contingent at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
