‘I have made a mistake’: Olympic medallist Aman Sherawat opens up on ban after failing to make weight at World Championships
New Delhi: Aman Sehrawat requested the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to lift his one-year ban and include him in the selection for the 2026 Asian Games and other international competitions. His suspension is effective from September 23, 2025, to September 22, 2026, while the Asian Games in Japan are scheduled from September 19 to October 4 next year.
Speaking to TOI during the felicitation ceremony organized by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to honour Paris Olympics medallists, Aman said he felt “embarrassed and apologetic” over his sudden exit from the World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, where he was a significant 1.7 kg over the limit ahead of his opening bout in the men’s freestyle 57kg category.
Aman assured to the federation that he would be more vigilant
Aman, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics was awarded Rs 50 lakh by the IOA asked the federation to consider the incident “one-off incident” and assured that he would be more vigilant with his weight management going forward.
“I know that I have made a mistake. I should have been more careful about maintaining my weight. But it wasn’t intentional…not that I didn’t try to bring my weight within permissible limit. It was my target to bring a medal from the Worlds, and I feel bad about what actually happened. I had prepared hard for the event. It still hurts when people brings this topic up,” Aman said.
“I tried to explain my side of the story to the federation, but they banned me for one year. The ban is a bit harsh. During the formal hearing (on Oct 5) at the WFI office, I told the officials that I tried hard to bring my weight down, but they wanted to set an example. I understand that part and I am not going to challenge this ban legally. All I am requesting the WFI to reconsider their decision and revoke my ban. Please treat it as a one-off incident. It had never happened in the past with me … don’t derail my career. I want to compete for India and bring many medals for the country. Next year are the Asian Games (Sept-Oct) and Asian championships (March-April). I want to participate in both these big events. I have high hopes from the federation that they will listen to my appeal and lift my suspension,” he added.
Aman revealed that he was unwell before his weigh-in at the World Championships
On the day before his weigh-in at the World Championships, Aman revealed that he was unwell and running a fever, “After reaching Zagreb, I developed a bad stomach. Maybe, the food didn’t suit me. I fell ill and had fever. On the night of the weigh-in, I was around 700 gms over my weight of 57-kg. I had some food and water so that I don’t feel weak. But, in the morning, my weight shot up, and it was around 1.7 kg. I tried everything to control it but nothing worked. All I can say is that the World championships is in the past, I want to look ahead and be careful in the future,” he said.
On Monday, the IOA honoured the Paris Games medalists with cash awards at a ceremony attended by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, IOA President PT Usha, and other officials from the ministry and Olympic committee.
Story Highlight:
- Aman Sehrawat requested the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to lift his one-year ban and include him in the selection for the 2026 Asian Games and other international competitions.
- Aman said he felt “embarrassed and apologetic” over his sudden exit from the World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb.
- Aman, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics assured that he would be more vigilant with his weight management going forward.
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