Bajrang Punia wins world wrestling bronze
Bajrang Punia came back from 0-6 down to beat Sebastian Rivera of Puerto Rico 11-9 to win the bronze medal in the men’s 65kg category at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade.
This was Bajrang’s fourth medal at the world championships. This was also India’s second medal in the event after Vinesh Phogat won bronze in the women’s 53kg competition earlier.
Bajrang Punia knows how to step up when a major medal is on the line. He showed that at the Tokyo Olympics, flinging aside the knee brace on his injured right leg to go all out and win the prized bronze. The same feisty Bajrang was on sight at the world championships in Belgrade on Sunday. Fighting with a gash on his head bandaged, he fought with a big heart to grab bronze.
After a disappointing 0-10 loss in the quarter-finals against Yianni Diakomihalis of USA on Saturday, Bajrang returned with conviction for his repechage bouts on Sunday. Though he was still shaky in his leg defence, he found a way with a series of attacking moves and swift counters.
