Sachin Tendulkar

Bajrang Punia

Neeraj Chopra during a javelin throw event (File Photo: Reuters)

Bajrang Punia after winning Gold medal in Men's 65 Kg Freestyle Wrestling. File photo: Reuters

Saina Nehwal. Photo: PTI

A man walks past a large banner promoting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Photo: AP | PTI

Bajrang Punia. Photo: Reuters

Bajrang Punia won a gold medal in men’s freestyle wrestling (65 kg) at the  Commonwealth Games 2018, where India has won 17 gold medals in all

Asian Games 2018, Bajrang  Punia

Bajrang Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler hailing from Haryana. He is currently ranked number 2 in the 65 kg weight category. He is the only Indian wrestler to have won three medals at the World Wrestling Championship. He added an Olympic medal to his list after winning the bronze medal match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He defeated his opponent 8-0 in the play-off to secure his first Olympic medal.&nbsp;

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	The 2020 Games was Punia&#39;s first Olympics and he was one of India&#39;s brightest propects for medals in Tokyo.&nbsp;<br />
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	He has performed well consistently for the past three years at major tournaments. He won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and silver and bronze at the 2018 and 2019 editions of the World Championship. He was among the eight Indian wrestlers who represented India at the 2020 Summer Olympics.</div>
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	<strong>Bajrang Punia&#39;s early life</strong></h4>
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	Born on February 26, 1994, Punia belongs to Khudan village of Jhajjar district in Haryana. He started wrestling at the age of 7 and was encouraged by his father, who was also a wrestler, to pursue the sport. In 2015, his family moved to Sonepat so that he could join the regional centre of the Sports Authority of India. He is currently employed by the Indian Railways.</div>
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	<strong>Bajrang Punia&#39;s career</strong></h4>
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	His first major tournament was the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. He settled for bronze at the tournament after losing to North Korea&rsquo;s Hwang Ryong-hak in the men&rsquo;s freestyle 60-kg category. In the World Wrestling Championship 2013, Punia won a bronze medal in the 60-kg category. In 2014, Punia upgraded the colour of his medal to silver at the Commonwealth Games in the men&rsquo;s 61-kg category. He repeated the performance in the 2014 Asian Games. Again, in 2014, Punia settled for a silver medal at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championship. At the 2015 World Wrestling Championship, he performed poorly and finished 5th in the tournament. He tasted his first gold medal, finally, after two years at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championship held in Delhi. He won another gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 in the men&rsquo;s freestyle 65-kg category. He scored his 3rd gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games. He became world number 1 in the 65-kg category after clinching a silver medal at the 2018 World Wrestling Championship. A bronze medal at the 2019 World Championship earned him a ticket to the 2020 Summer Olympics.<br />
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Bajrang Punia - Bajarang Punia is a Indian free style wrestler who has also a part of Indian Contingent for latest Tokyo Olympics 2020. Know more about Bajarang Punia and get latest updates and news with business-standard.com

Page 3 - Latest Updates on Bajrang Punia

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