Bajrang Punia sets up Asian final against nemesis Otogur, Ravi too advances
Other Sports | April 17, 2021 14:30 ISTBajrang had no difficulty in getting past Korea's Yongseok Jeong, who hardly attacked in his opening 65kg bout.
Bajrang had no difficulty in getting past Korea's Yongseok Jeong, who hardly attacked in his opening 65kg bout.
The elite 65kg wrestler recently won gold at the Matteo Pellicone event in Rome, where he showed improvement on his leg defence.
The Indian star wrestler defeated Mongolia's Tulga Ochir 2-2 by criteria in the 65kg freestyle final.
Bajrang, who had qualified for the Olympics after earning a quota at the 2019 World Championships, recently returned from USA after attending a one-month training camp.
Punia, who qualified for the Tokyo Games in the men's freestyle 65kg category, has been training at Cliff Kean Wrestling Club in Michigan since December 4.
The two athletes, who have had an impressive 2019-20 season, won the Sportsperson of the Year awards in their respective categories.
The camp will take place from December 4 to January 3 at Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, Michigan, at an approximate cost of Rs 14 lakhs.
There are two men's freestyle international events scheduled in Poland (November 4-8) and Russia (November 7-8) but Bajrang said wrestlers are not keen to compete there.
Concerned with the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in India, Bajrang said it is everybody's responsibility to keep each other safe.
He said that if the UAE manages to host the lucrative league without any hassle then other sports can also think of resuming events.
Bajrang said grapplers like him, who have already sealed their tickets for the Olympics, have a clear goal and mind-set -- prepare for the pinnacle of the sport in the best possible manner.
Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia took to Twitter to throw a workout challenge for India's football team captain Sunil Chhetri.
Wrestling's world governing body UWW announced the fresh rankings which placed Bajrang at number two in the 65kg category. Dahiya is fourth in the very competitive 57kg category.
The 25-year-old Bajrang is one of India's medal contenders at the Games, which are under doubt due to the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 15000 lives and infected more than 3,00,000 people worldwide.
Olympic silver-medallist Sindhu says she can understand the apprehensions of fellow shuttlers, including compatriot Sania Nehwal, who is racing against time to qualify for the Games due to the cancellation of tournaments in the wake of the outbreak.
Bajrang Punia lost to Japan's Takuto Otoguro in the final of the Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi.
Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya assured themselves of silver medals at the Asian Wrestling Championships on Saturday.
The six-day event at the KD Jadhav Wrestling Stadium will act as a platform for the Indian wrestlers to test their skills against the best in Asia ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Bajrang Punia won gold in the men's 65kg freestyle category while Ravi Kumar bagged gold in the 61kg category.
Bajrang had to sweat it out in the first round against Zain Allen Retherford of USA before prevailing 5-4.
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