Bajrang yearns for the top again after injury & rehab

Try and reminisce the days before the Tokyo Olympics with wrestler Bajrang Punia as the central figure.

- Hindol Basu

There was a sense of anticipation in the air. He was touted to be India’s biggest hope for an Olympic gold. Fans, the wrestling federation and certain sections of media thought it was a foregone conclusion. After all he was the World No. 2 going into the Olympics, he had won the 2018 Commonwealth Games as well as the 2018 Asian Games gold medals, besides coming on top in various ranking tournaments before the marquee event.

But the ones who follow the sport regularly and with intent knew the field was tough in the 65kg weight category. There were the likes of top seed Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia, 2018 World Champion Takuto Otoguro of Japan, Iszmail Muszukajev of Hungary, John Michael Diakomihalis of the United States and fierce competitors like Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan. Ultimately, Bajrang lost the semifinal to Aliyev, but grabbed the bronze by putting it across Niyazbekov in the repechage round.

A bronze was “somewhat a setback” in Bajrang’s own words, but again according to Bajrang “an Olympic medal is an Olympic medal”.