- Bajrang Punia will be competing for a historic gold at the World Wrestling Championships on Monday, 22 October.
- Indian wrestler Punia will compete against Takuto Otoguro of Japan in the final.
- The bout is scheduled to start tentatively at 10:00pm IST. It will be live streamed here.
Living up to the expectations, star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia put himself in contention for a historic World Championship gold medal after quelling a spirited challenge from Alejandro Enrique Valdes Tobier in a tense 65kg semi-final in Budapest on Sunday, 21 October.
The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games gold medallist ensured himself a second medal at the Worlds, having won a bronze at the 2013 edition. The in-form 24-year-old had come into the event as one of the strong medal contenders and has continued with his red-hot form this season.
India has a lone gold medal in world wrestling when Sushil Kumar won it in Moscow in 2010. And on Monday, Punia could add his name to the elite list when he takes on Takuto Otoguro from Japan in final of the World Championships.
If Bajrang manages to win gold at the World Wrestling Championships, he will achieve the rare feat of winning titles at all major championships in a single season.
While he had dominated the competitions at CWG and Jakarta Asian Games this year, Bajrang's road to the final in Budapest was not easy as he had to use all his mental and physical prowess to down his Cuban opponent (4-3) in the semi-final after overcoming Mongolia's Tulga Tumur Ochir (5-3) win in the quarter-finals.
I want to win gold like Sushil (Kumar). I want to do it for my country and I need all the countrymen’s blessings.Bajrang Punia
There were not many attacking moves in the semi-final with both Bajrang and Tobier mostly using the upper body power. Bajrang opened the scoring with a takedown but the Cuban reduced the margin by pushing the Indian out.
Seconds before the first break, Bajrang took a 4-1 lead with a throw move.
The second period was again very intense and no grappler could score a point until the Cuban found a two-point move at the edge of the circle. Pressure was mounting with Bajrang's coach shouting 'attack' 'attack' from outside. Tobier tried everything but the Indian maintained his lead to emerge victorious.
Earlier, Bajrang defeated Roman Asharin 9-4 in the first round and beat Korean Lee Seungchul 4-0 but faced stiff competition from Tumur Ochir.
“I am much relieved after two close bouts. I knew he is a good wrestler but he was very desperate in the second period. He attacked unexpectedly which helped him gain two points in the last minute,” said Punia, speaking from Budapest.
“When opponent is down, he normally goes all out attack in the last minute. I was trying to defend my lead but I need to be careful about this in the final. I have lost crucial points in the last couple of bouts in dying seconds and can’t repeat the same,” added Punia.
Asked if he had time to watch his Japanese opponent in action, Punia said: “I watched a bit of it after my match. He was overpowering against his Russian rival. I will watch his video and plan how to tackle him along with my coaching staff,” added Punia.
(With inputs from PTI)
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