By winning bronze on September 18, 2022, ace grappler Bajrang Punia became the only Indian to win four medals at the World Wrestling Championships. The wrestler won bronze in the men’s 65 kg weight class.
Sebastian C Rivera of Puerto Rico was defeated 11-9 by Bajrang Punia. The wrestler began his career in 2013 and has also won a bronze medal in 2019. This is India’s second World Wrestling Championship 2022 medal. Vinesh Phogat previously won a bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg category on September 14, 2022 in Belgrade.
The Indian wrestler won bronze in the 65kg category after defeating Sebastian C Rivera of Puerto Rico with a close point of 11-9.
In the quarterfinals, Bajrang Punia was defeated by John Michael Diakomihalis of the United States.
The wrestler also defeated Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia by 7-6 points in the repechage round, qualifying for the bronze medal contest.
Aside from Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat won her second World Championship bronze medal in the women’s 53kg division. She won bronze after defeating Emma Malmgren of Sweden 8-0. India fielded a 30-member team for the ongoing World Championships but performed poorly, winning only two medals. Ravi Kumar Dahiya, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, had crashed out early and failed to finish on the podium.
Source:JJ