The signs of Aman Sehrawat’s Saturday battle were etched across his face. His lip was coated with dried blood, bruises darkened beneath both eyes, and crimson scratches marked his neck. The 23-year-old hadn’t noticed any of it.

“Pata bhi nahi kab hua yeh (I don’t know when these even happened),” he laughed, his teeth stained red.

He was laughing because he had just won his first Asian Games gold, beating reigning World champion Han Chong-song of North Korea 11-7 at the Inae Sports Center in Nagoya.

Han had fought back from 6-1 down to briefly lead 7-6, but two late takedowns sealed the win for Aman. Earlier, he had come from behind against Japan’s Yamato Ogawa and Tajikistan’s Aiaal Belolyubskii.

The gold improved on the bronze he won at Hangzhou and made him the first Indian to win two Asian Games medals in the men’s 57kg freestyle category.

More importantly, it reignited a fire that had dimmed after his bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aman’s fight for gold in Nagoya had begun the night before the duel. A kilo over the weight limit, he trained hard to shed the excess and then went without food or water. He eventually weighed 200 grams under the limit. “I could have at least had some water to drink,” he quipped.

The weight struggle was a reminder of a difficult year. He failed to make weight at the 2025 World Championships and was disqualified, then suspended by the federation. After Paris, he had also struggled with motivation amid distractions and a stomach problem.

“I was very upset, for many days,” he said.

He eventually returned to Chhatrasal Stadium, where he had grown up, and changed his phone wallpaper from an Olympic gold medal to an Asian Games gold.

“Every time I looked at that picture I thought I had to win that medal.”

Now, having beaten the world champion, Aman has belief once again.

“There was a time when I didn’t have a lot of motivation. But now that hunger has come once again,” he said.