Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a wide 8-0 margin.[2] Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win 4 medals at the World Wrestling Championships.[3]
This article needs to be updated. (August 2021) |
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Nationality | Indian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1994-02-26) 26 February 1994 (age 28) Khudan, Jhajjar, Haryana, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation | Wrestler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) | Sangeeta Phogat (m. 2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Country | India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Sujeet Maan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (August 2021) |
Punia was born in the Khudan village of Jhajjar district in the state of Haryana, India.[4][5] He began wrestling at the age of seven and was encouraged to pursue the sport by his father.[6] Punia grew up in rural area. His family did not have money for traditional sports. Instead, he had to partake in free sports like Wrestling and Kabaddi.[7] Punia's father was a wrestler as well and at a young age, his family Enrolled him in a local mud wrestling school. Punia started to skip school to go to wrestling practice.[7]He went to Chattarsal Stadium in 2008 where he was trained by Ramphal Mann. In 2015, his family moved to Sonepat so that he can attend to a regional center of Sports Authority of India.
Currently, he works in the Indian Railways on the post of Gazetted officer OSD Sports.[5] Punia enjoys seeking out knowledge of his village elders.[7]
Punia is married to fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat Punia.[8]
In New Delhi, India, in the semi-final bout, Bajrang lost 3-1 to Hwang Ryong-hak of North Korea to win the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 60 kg category.
In the Round of 16, he faced Shogo Maeda of Japan, beating him 3-1. His opponent in the quarter-finals was Morad Hassan of Iran whom he beat 3-1 to qualify for the semi-finals.[9]
In Budapest, Hungary, Bajrang won the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 60 kg category by qualifying for the bronze medal bout through the repechage round. There, he met Enkhsaikhany Nyam-Ochir of Mongolia and beat him 9-2.
In the Round of 32, he faced Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria who beat him 7-0. With the Bulgarian grappler qualifying for the final bout, Bajrang then faced Shogo Maeda of Japan and earned a walkover. His next opponent was Ivan Guidea of Romania, and with a 10-3 win over the Romanian, Bajrang earned a spot in the bronze medal bout.[10]
In Glasgow, Scotland, he won the silver medal in the men's freestyle 61 kg category, after losing 1-4 to David Tremblay of Canada.
In the Round of 16, Bajrang faced Sasha Madyarchyk of England and beat him 4-0. He faced Marno Plaatjies of South Africa in the quarter-finals and won 4-1. The Nigerian wrestler, Amas Daniel, was his opponent in the semi-finals and overcame him in a 3-1 score line.[11][12]
In Incheon, South Korea, he won the silver medal in the Men's freestyle 61 kg category, after losing 1-3 to Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari of Iran.
In the Round of 16, he faced Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg of Mongolia and beat him 3-1. His quarter-finals opponent was Farkhodi Usmonzoda of Tajikistan whom he beat 4-1 to qualify for the semi-finals. He was assured of a medal when he beat Noriyuki Takatsuka of Japan 4-1 in the semi-finals.[13]
In Astana, Kazakhstan, Bajrang won the silver medal in the men's freestyle 61 kg category, losing 0-4 to Masoud Esmaeilpour of Iran.
In the Round of 16, Bajrang met Lee Seung-Chul of South Korea whom he beat 3-1. In the quarter-finals, he faced Noriyuki Takatsuka of Japan whom he beat 3-1 to qualify for the semi-finals. There he met Nazmandakh Lhamgarmaa of Mongolia whom he beat 3-1 to assure himself of a medal.[14]
Unlike his fellow Narsingh Yadav, Bajrang wasn't able to win a medal at the tournament in Las Vegas and finished 5th.[15]
In the Round of 32, he met Batboldyn Nomin of Mongolia who beat him 10-0. With the Mongolian qualifying for the final bout in the 61 kg category, Bajrang got a chance to contest in the Repêchage round. His first opponent in the repêchage round was Reece Humphrey of the USA whom he beat 6-0 easily. The second repêchage opponent was Beka Lomtadze from Georgia who put up a fight but was ultimately overcome 13-6 by the Indian. Unfortunately, he fell at the last hurdle, drawing the bronze medal bout 6-6 but his opponent Vasyl Shuptar of Ukraine, scoring the last point.[15]
In 2017 May, he won a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship held in Delhi.[5]
Bajrang was the second acquisition of the JSW owned Bangalore franchise in the auction conducted in New Delhi. The wrestler was picked up for a sum of Rs 29.5 lakh.[16]
The Pro Wrestling League was scheduled to be held from 10 December to 27 December across six cities.[17]
In Gold Coast, Australia, he won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 65 kg category. He overcame Kane Charig of Wales by Technical Superiority to clinch the gold.[18]
On August 19, he won the Men's freestyle 65 kg /Gold medal. He defeated Japanese Wrestler Takatani Daichi 11-8; the score was locked at 6-6 after the first round.[19][20]
Bajrang won Silver at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships. After that Silver Medal, he claimed World No. 1 in 65 kg category.[21]
Bajrang won Bronze for the second time at a World Championship, thereby qualifying India for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the 65 kg freestyle wrestling event.
On 18 January, Bajrang defeated Jordan Oliver 4-3 in the final in the 65 kg freestyle category at the Ranking Series.[22]
In 2021, he won the gold medal in the 65 kg event at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 held in Rome, Italy.[23]
He clinched a silver medal at the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships after losing to Takuto Otoguro in the final.[24]
On 6 August 2021, he won the pre-quarterfinal match in 65 kg category in 2020 Summer Olympics against Ernazar Akmataliev and his quarter-final match against Morteza Ghiasi Cheka.[25][26]
In the bronze medal match he defeated the Kazakhstani wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov, winning by a margin of 8-0.[27]
Bajrang and other Indian Olympians were featured in a can by the Indian soft drink manufacturer, Thums Up[28]
Bajrang Punia clinched the gold medal with a dominating win over Canada’s Lachlan McNeil in the 65kg final bout at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.[29]
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (August 2021) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2022 | 2022 World Wrestling Championships | Belgrade | 65 kg | Sebastian C Rivera (PUR) | |
2019 | 2019 World Wrestling Championships | Nur-sultan | 65 kg | Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) | |
2018 | 2018 World Wrestling Championships | Budapest | 65 kg | Takuto Otoguro (JPN) | |
2017 | 2017 World Wrestling Championships | Paris France | 65 kg | 13th | Zurabi Iakobishvili (GEO) |
2016 | 2016 World Wrestling Championships | Budapest | 61 kg | 9th | Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE) |
2015 | 2015 World Wrestling Championships | Las Vegas | 61 kg | 5th | Batboldyn Nomin (MGL) |
2013 | 2013 World Wrestling Championships | Hungry | 60 kg | Vladimir Dubov (BUL) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2017 | 2017 World U23 Wrestling Championships | Bydgoszcz | 65 kg | Nachyn Kuular (RUS) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2018 | 2018 Asian Games | Jakarta | 65kg | Daichi Takatani (JPN) | |
2014 | 2014 Asian Games | Incheon | 61kg | Masoud Esmaeilpour (IRI) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2022 | 2022 Commonwealth Games | Birmingham | 65kg | Lachlan McNeil (CAN) | |
2018 | 2018 Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast | 65kg | Kane Charig (WAL) | |
2014 | 2014 Commonwealth Games | Glasgow | 61kg | David Tremblay (CAN) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2021 | 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships | Almaty | 65kg | Takuto Otoguro (JPN) | |
2020 | 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships | New Delhi | 65kg | Takuto Otoguro (JPN) | |
2019 | 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships | Xi'an | 65kg | Sayatbek Okassov (KAZ) | |
2018 | 2018 Asian Wrestling Championships | Bishkek | 65kg | Daichi Takatani (JPN) | |
2017 | 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships | New Delhi | 65kg | Seunghui Lee (KOR) | |
2016 | 2016 Asian Wrestling Championships | Bangkok | 65kg | 10th | Kum Su JON (PRK) |
2014 | 2014 Asian Wrestling Championships | Astana | 61kg | Masoud Esmaeilpour (IRI) | |
2013 | 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships | New Delhi | 60kg | Yang Jae-hoon (KOR) |
Year | Competition | Venue | Event | Rank | Opponent |
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2021 | Tokyo Olympics 2020 | Tokyo | 65 kg | Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) |
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (August 2021) |
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Olympic medalists for India | |
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Gold medalists |
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Silver medalists |
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Bronze medalists |
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Recipients of Padma Shri in Sports | |
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1950s |
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1960s |
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1970s |
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1980s |
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1990s |
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2000s |
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2010s |
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2020s |
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Recipients of Khel Ratna | |
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1991–2000 |
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2001–2010 |
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2011–2020 |
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Asian Games Wrestling Champions in Men's Freestyle Lightweight | |
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