- Deepak Punia will take on Hassan Yazdani of Iran in the 86kg final on Sunday, 22 September.
- Rahul Aware (61kg) will be part of the bronze-medal bout.
- On Saturday, Deepak also secured a 2020 Tokyo Olympic berth.
- Till now, India have three medals in their kitty - all bronze.
Day 9: Indians in Action
Deepak Punia will face Hassan Yazdani of Iran in the 86kg final while Rahul Aware will fighting for a bronze medal but his challenger will be decided through the repechage round, which will also take place on Sunday, 22 September.
Whatever be the results of these two matches, India is assured of a fourth medal which will make the 2019 World Championships India’s most successful campaign till date with four medals.
Till now India’s most successful run at the competition was six years back in 2013 when they won 2 bronze and a silver. Amit Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Sandeep Tulsi Yadav stood on the podium.
Meanwhile, India already have three medals in their kitty, which are three bronze medals won by Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Both Jitender & Mausam Knocked Out
Medal hopes dashed for the losing duo of Jitender (79kg) and Mausam (97kg).
Taimuraz Salkazanov, who defeated Jitender in the quarterfinals, lost his semis bout 3-4 to Azerbaijan’s Jabrayil Hasanov. Salkazanov’s defeat means Jitender won’t get a repechage opportunity.
Mausam also suffered a similar fate. Top seed Kyle Snyder of USA, who beat the Indian in his first round, lost 2-5 to Sharifov in the semi-final ending Mausam’s repechage hopes.
Great Going For Deepak Punia
2019 is already looking like a landmark year for wrestler Deepak Punia.
After being crowned the Junior World Champion in August this year, Deepak looks good for a gold medal at Nur-Sultan. But the Indian needs to beat Hassan Yazdani of Iran on Sunday, 22 September to take home the top honour.
Till date, the only Indian to win a gold medal in the world championship is Sushil Kumar in the 66 kg category, who achieved the feat in 2010 in Moscow.
When Deepak had won the Junior World Championships, that time also he was the first Indian to do so in 18 years.
Apart from this he had also won the Cadet world championship in 2016 and missed out on a bronze in the junior worlds in 2017. In 2018 he won the silver medal in Slovakia.
Let’s see what happens tomorrow!
86kg Semis: Deepak Punia in the Final
And India assured of their fourth medal in World Championships!
Deepak Punia defeated Stefan Reichmuth of Switzerland 8-2 in the semi-finals of the 86kg category. With this win, the junior world champion books a place in the final and also ensured that India will have their best-ever medal haul from the World Championships.
After a quiet start in the first round, Deepak Punia took complete control in the second half. Deepak was leading 1-0 at the end of the first three minutes, courtesy a shot clock. After the break, Deepak scored a flurry of touchdowns to clinch the bout.
What a year Deepak Punia is having!