Bajrang Punia Explained

Bajrang Punia
Birth Date:26 February 1994
Birth Place:Khudan, Jhajjar, Haryana, India
Height:1.66 m
Weight:65 kg
Country:India
Sport:Wrestling
Event:Freestyle
Coach:Sujeet Maan

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 8–0 margin.[1] Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win 4 medals at the World Wrestling Championships.[2]

He is a recipient of Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India which he gave up as a protest after a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was elected as Wrestling Federation of India chief.[3]

Early life and background

Punia was born in Khudan, Jhajjar, 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 could attend 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 is married to fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat.[8]

Career

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, he 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 was not 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]

Asian Wrestling Championship 2017

In 2017 May, he won a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship held in Delhi.[5]

Pro Wrestling League

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]

2018 Commonwealth Games

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]

2018 Asian Games

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]

He 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.

2020 Rome Ranking Series

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]

2020 Tokyo Olympics

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 the other Indian Olympians were featured in a can by the Indian soft drink manufacturer, Thums Up.[28]

2022 Commonwealth Games

Bajrang 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]

2024

In 2024, Bajrang was suspended for refusing to provide his urine sample during the selection trials of the Olympic qualifiers.[30]

International competitions

World Championship

YearCompetitionVenueEventRankOpponent
20222022 World Wrestling ChampionshipsBelgrade65 kg
20192019 World Wrestling ChampionshipsNur-Sultan65 kg
20182018 World Wrestling ChampionshipsBudapest65 kg
20172017 World Wrestling ChampionshipsParis France65 kg13th
20162016 World Wrestling ChampionshipsBudapest61 kg9th
20152015 World Wrestling ChampionshipsLas Vegas61 kg5th
20132013 World Wrestling ChampionshipsHungry60 kg

Asian Games

YearCompetitionVenueEventRankOpponent
20182018 Asian GamesJakarta65kg
20142014 Asian GamesIncheon61kg

Commonwealth Games

YearCompetitionVenueEventRankOpponent
20222022 Commonwealth GamesBirmingham65kg
20182018 Commonwealth GamesGold Coast65kg
20142014 Commonwealth GamesGlasgow61kg

Asian Wrestling Championship

YearCompetitionVenueEventRankOpponent
20212021 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsAlmaty65kg
20202020 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsNew Delhi65kg
20192019 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsXi'an65kg
20182018 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsBishkek65kg
20172017 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsNew Delhi65kg
20162016 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsBangkok65kg10th
20142014 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsAstana61kg
20132013 Asian Wrestling ChampionshipsNew Delhi60kg

Olympics

Record against opponents

WeightPlayersMatchesResultsChange
WonLost
65 kg Alejandro Valdés1 1 0 +1
65 kg Takuto Otoguro2 0 2 −2
65 kg Daichi Takatani3 2 1 +1
65 kg Zurabi Iakobishvili1 0 1 −1
61 kg Beka Lomtadze1 1 0 +1
65 kg Batchuluuny Batmagnai4 3 1 +2
65 kg Tömör-Ochiryn Tulga2 2 0 +2
65 kg Batboldyn Nomin1 0 1 −1
61 kg Enkhsaikhany Nyam-Ochir2 1 1 0
65 kg Lee Seung-chul3 3 0 +3
65 kg Daulet Niyazbekov2 1 1 0
65 kg Ashirov Meirzhan2 2 0 +2
65 kg Sayatbek Okassov1 1 0 +1
65 kg Meisam Nassiri2 1 1 0
65 kg Younes Emami4 4 0 +4
65 kg Masoud Esmaeilpour3 0 3 −3
65 kg Kim Kuk-gwang1 1 0 +1
65 kg Viktor Rassadin2 2 0 +2
65 kg Murshid Mutalimov1 1 0 +1
65 kg Kurban Shiraev1 1 0 +1
65 kg Nachyn Kuular1 0 1 −1
65 kg Sirojiddin Khasanov3 3 0 +3
65 kg Zain Retherford2 1 1 0
65 kg Oliver Jordan2 2 0 +2
65 kg Yianni Diakomihalis1 0 1 −1
65 kg Gor Ogannesyan2 2 0 +2
65 kg Vasyl Shuptar1 1 1 0
65 kg Mustafa Kaya2 1 1 0
65 kg Abdulqosim Fayziev3 3 0 +3

Awards

For winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

Recent activism

Punia has been protesting against the alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief - Brij Bhushan Singh. The instances of sexual harassment ranged from 2012 to 2022.[39] Punia has called on the public to show their support at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Following a scuffle between wrestlers and Delhi police at Jantar Mantar, Punia expressed concern about the treatment of wrestlers and its implications for their careers, stating, [40] [41] [42] [43]

"What are we supposed to do with the medals if this is how we are going to be treated? It is unfortunate that a person accused of sexual harassment attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building. It took Delhi Police only a few hours to register an FIR against us but it took them 7 days to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan Singh".

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rohan . Sen . Tokyo 2020: Wrestler Bajrang Punia beats Daulet Niyazbekov to win bronze, adds 6th medal in India's tally . 7 August 2021 . 24 August 2021 . . Tokyo . en.
  2. News: WHO IS BAJRANG PUNIA . Business Standard India . 20 May 2022.
  3. News: Bajrang Punia writes to PM Modi, says he is returning Padma Shri in protest . 23 December 2023 . . PTI . 22 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222200435/https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/bajrang-punia-to-return-padma-shri-in-protest-over-wfi-chief-election/article67666001.ece . 22 December 2023 . en.
  4. News: Saini . Ravinder . Silver medallist Bajrang's native village erupts in joy . 6 April 2018 . . . 31 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180303200744/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140801/haryana.htm#5 . 3 March 2018 . live.
  5. Web site: Ravinder . Saini . Bajrang's village celebrates the proud moment . 14 May 2017 . 24 August 2021 . . en.
  6. Web site: Glasgow 2014 - Bajrang Bajrang Profile . g2014results.thecgf.com . . 30 October 2015.
  7. Web site: Bajrang Punia: In The Middle of Difficulty Lies Opportunity . fight-library.com . Blaine . Henry . June 1, 2020 . August 24, 2021.
  8. Web site: Venkat . Rahul . 20 November 2020 . Bajrang Punia ties the knot with fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat. . olympics.com.
  9. Web site: International Wrestling Database . iat.uni-leipzig.de . 30 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210618/https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbfoeldeak/daten.php?spid=C826C010ABEF4ECEA4FB43CA531B8D75&kaempfe=1&wkid=B4C8D6FE72424D4FAA62A1BBEF8AC3BA&gkl=2&spid=C826C010ABEF4ECEA4FB43CA531B8D75 . 4 March 2016 . dead.
  10. Web site: 18 September 2013 . Wrestler Bajrang wins bronze, gives India second medal at Worlds-Sports News . Firstpost . 20 May 2022 . en.
  11. Web site: Bajrang Kumar wins bronze at World Wrestling Championships . https://web.archive.org/web/20130920165108/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bajrang-kumar-wins-bronze-at-world-wrestling-championships/422837-5-23.html . dead . 20 September 2013 . . 17 September 2013 . 24 August 2021.
  12. Web site: Ritu . Sejwal . Bajrang wins bronze at World Wrestling Championships . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921030958/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-17/wrestling/42147393_1_bajrang-repechage-round-bronze-medal-match . dead . 21 September 2013 . 17 September 2013 . 19 September 2013 . The Times of India.
  13. Web site: Athletes_Profile Biographies Sports . incheon2014ag.org . 2015-10-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141004050025/http://www.incheon2014ag.org/Sports/Biographies/Athletes_Profile/?ParticCode=5123764&lang=en . 2014-10-04 .
  14. Web site: International Wrestling Database . iat.uni-leipzig.de . 30 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305025645/https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbfoeldeak/daten.php?spid=C826C010ABEF4ECEA4FB43CA531B8D75&kaempfe=1&wkid=84E8A4B9BFCA48C681E102C22453AB5A&gkl=2&spid=C826C010ABEF4ECEA4FB43CA531B8D75 . 5 March 2016 . dead.
  15. Web site: International Wrestling Database . iat.uni-leipzig.de . 30 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151008031148/https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbfoeldeak/daten.php?wkid=1F195AD0291842159A21D4F8C57AB5AD&gkl=2 . 8 October 2015 . dead.
  16. Web site: K . Kumaraswamy . JSW bag Narsingh at Pro Wrestling League auction . . 3 November 2015 . 24 August 2021.
  17. News: Pro Wrestling League: Yogeshwar Dutt gets Rs 39.7-lakh offer, Sushil Kumar Rs 38.2 lakh - The Economic Times . . 5 November 2015 . 4 November 2015 . Sharma . Ravi Teja.
  18. Web site: CWG 2018: Wrestler Bajrang Punia bags Gold in Men's Freestyle 65kg category . 13 April 2018 . 19 July 2021 . . en.
  19. News: Shivani . Naik . Wrestler Bajrang Punia brings India first Asian Games gold . 20 August 2018 . . 20 August 2018 . en-US.
  20. Web site: Official Result Book - Wrestling 19–22 August . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203161810/http://www.ocagames.com/orb/files/4/112/AG2018_OfficialResultBook_Wrestling_v1.0.pdf . 3 February 2020 . 18 May 2020.
  21. News: Bajrang becomes number one in world in 65kg . 20 August 2018 . . 10 November 2018 . en-US.
  22. News: Bajrang Punia wins gold at Rome Ranking Series event . Rome . . en . 18 January 2020 .
  23. Web site: Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210321221706/https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/final-book_matteo_pellicone_2021.pdf . 21 March 2021 . 21 March 2021 . United World Wrestling.
  24. Web site: Dutta . Subhayan . February 23, 2021 . The Takuto Otoguro conundrum for Bajrang Punia . olympics.com.
  25. Web site: Olympic Schedule & Results - 6 Aug . Tokyo 2020 Olympics . . 6 August 2021 . en-us . 24 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210824062234/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/all-sports/olympic-schedule-and-results-date=2021-08-06.htm . dead.
  26. Web site: Bajrang Punia reaches Olympic wrestling 65kg semifinals in Tokyo, to face Haji Aliyev . 6 August 2021 . 24 August 2021 . The Hindu . en-us.
  27. News: August 7, 2021 . Bajrang Punia wins bronze in Tokyo 2020: Every athlete dreams of winning an Olympic medal . 20 May 2022 . India Today . en.
  28. Web site: Thums Up faces brickbats for roping in athletes in its latest ad for Olympics . Exchange4media . 20 May 2022 . en.
  29. Web site: CWG 2022: Bajrang Punia Wins India's First Gold Medal In Wrestling At Commonwealth Games . 5 August 2022 . . en.
  30. https://sportstar.thehindu.com/wrestling/united-world-wrestling-uww-provisionally-suspends-bajrang-punia-until-end-of-2024/article68157104.ece Global wrestling body UWW suspends Bajrang Punia until the end of 2024
  31. Web site: JSW-supported Bajrang Punia and Babita Kumari receive Arjuna Award . sportskeeda.com . 29 August 2015 . 30 October 2015.
  32. Web site: Abhimanyu . Mathur . Bajrang Punia: The Padma honour more than makes up for the Khel Ratna snub . . 11 March 2019 . 28 January 2019.
  33. Web site: Wrestler Bajrang Punia to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award . 16 August 2019 . 24 August 2021 . . en.
  34. News: Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag top honours at FICCI India Sports Awards . . 9 December 2020 . 24 August 2021 . en-IN.
  35. News: Sharma . Nitin . 12 July 2021 . Rs 6 crore or Rs 25 lakh for Olympics gold? Home state key to cash prize . . 7 August 2021.
  36. News: Basu . Hindol . 23 July 2021 . Tokyo Olympics: Indians to get highest cash award for winning medals . . 7 August 2021.
  37. News: . 7 August 2021 . Raining rewards for Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra! Haryana, Punjab, BCCI announce cash awards for star javelin thrower . . 7 August 2021.
  38. News: . Tokyo Olympics: Coaches of gold winners to get ₹12.5 lakh from IOA, Chanu coach to get ₹10 lakh . . 24 July 2021 . 7 August 2021.
  39. News: Wrestlers protest: 7 days to register FIR against Brij Bhushan, few hours for FIR against us, says Bajrang Punia . The Economic Times . 29 May 2023 . en.
  40. News: Tewari . Samridhi . 4 May 2023 . Ready to return our medals, says Bajrang Punia a day after scuffle with police . en-IN . The Hindu . 5 May 2023 . 0971-751X.
  41. Web site: Why are top Indian wrestlers protesting on the streets? . 5 May 2023 . Al Jazeera . en.
  42. Web site: 5 May 2023 . Bajrang Punia's emotional appeal and a video: 'fought for pride of our country' . 5 May 2023 . Hindustan Times . en.
  43. Web site: Wrestler Bajrang Punia Urges People To Reach Delhi After Violence At Protest Site . 5 May 2023 . NDTV.