Wrestling: Bajrang Punia wins bronze at World Champs


PTI, Sep 21, 2019, 11:22 AM IST

Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan): Shrugging off his controversial semifinal defeat, Bajrang Punia held off a spirited challenge from Mongloia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir to bag his third World Championship medal, winning a bronze, here on Friday.

Bajrang was already India’s only multiple medallist at the Worlds and he consolidated his record with his 8-7 win over Ochir, the under-23 Asian champion.

Ochir put Bajrang under a lot of pressure from the beginning as he pushed the Indian outside the mat to take the lead. He locked Bajrang’s arms to prevent attacks and then effected a four-point throw to lead 6-0.

Bajrang got on board with a counter and true to his style made a superb comeback in the second period. He first erased the deficit and then took lead with a flurry of moves to eventually nail a narrow 8-7 win.

Bajrang had won a silver medal last year and a bronze in the 2013 edition in Budapest.

It was his first tournament of the season where Bajrang did not make the final though he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in this championship.

“I will never forget what they did to me. I was so heartbroken that I did not even want to fight for the bronze The whole world saw what they did. I had worked so hard for the World Championship gold. I appeal to the UWW to do something about it,” Bajrang told PTI after his win, referring to his semifinal defeat.

“My coaches told me medal is a medal so I agreed to compete in this bout. I am glad I gave India third World medal,” he added.

Bajrang had lost to home wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov in the semifinal under controversial circumstances on Thursday.

Asked if he found his defence lacking since he has been trailing in his bouts, Bajrang replied, “No, that’s my style. I do well after trailing. I have been doing that for years.”

In the run-up to the World Championships, he won titles at all four competitions — Dan Kolov in Bulgaria, Asian Championship in China, Ali Aliev in Russia and Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia.

Last year also, it was only at the Asian Championship in Bishkek where he did not reach the final, finishing with a bronze

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Karnataka CM directs officials to submit proposal for gold chariot for Goddess Chamundeshwari

IPL Auction 2025 | GT buy Washington Sundar for Rs 3.20 crore; Shaw, Shardul go unsold

Virat Kohli doesn’t need our support, but we need the support of Kohli: Bumrah

INDIA bloc seeking JPC probe into Adani ‘scam’, govt scared of debate: Congress after LS, RS adjourned

Burglars decamp with cash Rs 1 crore, 300 gold sovereigns from house in Kerala

Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls

Perth Test: Bumrah leads India to its biggest Test win on Australian soil

Related Articles More

IPL Auction 2025 | GT buy Washington Sundar for Rs 3.20 crore; Shaw, Shardul go unsold

Virat Kohli doesn’t need our support, but we need the support of Kohli: Bumrah

Perth Test, Day 4: Siraj removes Smith as Australia go into lunch at 104 for five

Skipper Rohit Sharma hit nets following arrival in Perth, will play two-day game in Canberra

Chennai Super Kings can use R Ashwin in a number of ways: Stephen Fleming

MUST WATCH

Coconut Flower

Prakash Belawadi

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar


Latest Additions

Need to link co-op movement with circular economy: PM Modi

Karnataka CM directs officials to submit proposal for gold chariot for Goddess Chamundeshwari

RSS mouthpiece Organiser had attacked Constitution: Jairam Ramesh

Cheetah Neerva gives birth to cubs in MP’s Kuno National Park

Sensex reclaims 80k mark; Nifty surges over 1% after BJP-led Mahayuti’s win in Maharashtra

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.