India's 20th gold! Hard-fought win for Aman Sehrawat against world champion Han Chong Song

NAGOYA: India’s wrestling superstar Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men's 57kg freestyle wrestling event. Sehrawat clinched the title by defeating the reigning world champion, North Korea's Han Chong-song, 11-7 in the final. With this victory, Aman became the first Indian athlete to win gold in this category at the Asian Games.

At one stage during the second period of the match, Aman was leading 6-1. However, World Champion Han Chong-song staged a comeback with three consecutive two-point moves to take a 7-6 lead. As the match neared its conclusion, Aman made a crucial recovery.

He regained the lead by securing four points through a takedown and a roll, bringing the score to 11-7. Aman then put up a strong defence for the remaining 30 seconds to seal the gold medal. India currently holds the fifth position in the rankings, with a medal tally comprising 20 gold, 26 silver, and 37 bronze medals.

Earlier, Sujeet Kalkal had won gold in the men's 65kg freestyle category. With this, India secured two gold medals in men's freestyle wrestling at the Asian Games for the first time since 1978. Aman, who won bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, also won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.