India's star wrestler Bajrang Punia had to settle for a silver medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships. Punia faced a crushing 2-10 defeat at the hands of Japan's Takuto Otoguro.
Earlier, another Indian wrestler Satyawart Kadian conceded a defeat in the final of the 97kg category match, as Mojtaba Mohammadshafie Goliej of Iran defeated the Indian wrestler 10-0 in the gold medal match. Kadian never had an upper-edge over the Iranian wrestler as Mojtaba dominated him throughout the match.
In another gold medal match for the 79kg category, Kyrgyzstan's Arsalan Budazhapov defeated India's Gourav Baliyan in a closely-fought bout. In a see-saw game, Baliyan was leading over Budazhapov until the final 15 seconds of the match, as he failed to hold on to his lead. Instead of defending the lead, the Indian wrestler continued on his attack, allowing the Kyrgyz wrestler to counter and take a two-point advantage.
Disappointment continued for India in their third medal-match of the evening, as Naveen conceded a defeat to Uzbekistan's Meirzhan Ashirov in the 70kg category. Ashirov won the match 12-1.
With the two silvers and a bronze, India now have 16 medals at the championships.
