Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal in the men’s 65kg on the final day of the World Wrestling Championships 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday.
Wrestling with a bandage on his head due to the injury he sustained during Saturday’s pre quarter-finals, Bajrang Punia produced a spirited fightback against Puerto Rico’s Sebastian Rivera, a Pan-American Championships silver medallist, after being 6-0 down early in the bout.
Bajrang Punia eventually cut the lead and was trailing 8-9 heading into the last minute of the second period. The Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist then pulled off a two-point takedown and a point in the final 20 seconds to turn the tables and win the bout 11-9.
It was Bajrang Punia’s fourth medal at the world championships. Bajrang Punia, with silver in 2018 and bronze medals in 2013 and 2019, was already India’s most successful wrestler at the world championships coming into this edition.
Earlier, Bajrang Punia won his repechage round against the under-23 world championships silver medallist Vazgen Tevanyan 7-6 after being 4-1 down at the end of the first period.
On Saturday, Bajrang Punia, seeking his first world championships gold, began with a 5-4 win over Cuba’s two-time worlds bronze medallist Alejandro Valdes
Though Bajrang Punia progressed, he suffered an injury and had to fight the next round with a bandage on his head. Bajrang Punia then lost to former Pan-American champion John Diakomihalis of the USA in the quarter-finals but entered the repechage after Diakomihalis made it to the final.
At the world championships 2022, India fielded a strong 30-member contingent that involved competitions for men’s and women’s freestyle along with Greco-Roman wrestling. India sent 10 wrestlers for each of the three categories.
While three-time Commonwealth Games champion Vinesh Phogat won a bronze medal in women’s 53kg, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya failed to clinch a medal in the men’s 57kg category.
India also returned with two medals at the last edition of the world championships, which were held after the Tokyo Olympics. Anshu Malik won silver in women’s 57kg while Sarita Mor won bronze in 59kg.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for winning the Bronze medal at World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said; “Our wrestlers make us proud. Congrats to @Phogat_Vinesh and @BajrangPunia on their Bronze medal wins at the World Wrestling Championships, Belgrade. This is special for both as Vinesh becomes the 1st Indian woman to win 2 medals on this platform and Bajrang wins his 4th medal.”
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