Bajrang powers India to a golden start ‘Strong contender for Olympics now’
Wrestler shows great technique to defeat Japan’s Takatani in final, Sushil falters in Rd 1
Sunday, when young wrestler Bajrang Punia fetched India their first gold at the 2018 Asian Games, pre-games favourite and two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar bowed out in the opening round. Two other free style wrestlers – Mausam Khatri and Sandeep Tomar —too followed suit.
Fresh from his gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this year, silver medallist at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Bajrang was ruthless in all but three bouts before outsmarting Japan’s Takatani Daichi 11-8 in a thrilling final to bring smiles on the faces of Indian crowd here. “I was dreaming of this medal since I made it to Jakarta for the Games,” Bajrang said. “I am happy that I could live up to the expectations of people. It’s a dream come true,” he added.
This was Bajrang’s first gold in the Asian Games and it takes the 24-year-old’s international medals tally to 13, including five gold. Bajrang, a prodigy of London Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, began his final in style, pushing Daichi twice before flooring him to take a twopoint lead. He continued his attacks and took a 6-0 lead.
But Daichi, who had defeated Bajrang in the quarter-final of the 2018 Asian Championships, fought back earning his first two points by pushing Bajrang out of the mat. Daichi showed excellent speed and kept getting hold of Bajrang’s legs repeatedly and though the Indian was astute in defence, the Japanese kept reducing the margin and caught up with the Indian at 6-6. With 22 seconds to go and the wrestlers locked at 8-8, Bajrang managed to get hold of Daichi in a tight situation, securing a two pointer to emerge victorious. Daichi’s effort in the dying seconds failed to bear fruit and Bajrang won another point.
Bajrang got a bye in the first round. He then crushed Uzbekistan’s Sirojiddin Khasanov 13-3 and then beat Abdul Qosimfayziev of Tajikistan 12-2 in the quarterfinal. In the semi-final, he beat Magolian Batmagnai Batchuluun
10-0 proving his dominance.
SUSHIL’S EXIT
Sushil’s early exit remained the day’s biggest disappointment for his travelling supporters. The ageing poster boy of Indian wrestling looked rusty in his 3-5 loss to Bahrain’s Adam Batirov in the 74 kg category.
“I wasn’t expecting this result myself. I made the biggest mistake when I attacked despite having the lead and it allowed Batirov to take me down,” said Sushil. “I paid the price for not participating in big events in the last four years.”
“Before going to this year’s World Championships, I will participate in all the big events so that I am ready to handle bigger challenges,” said the 35-year-old. “I am enjoying wrestling and looking for a good show at the Tokyo Olympics.”
In the 86kg bronze medal match, Pawan Kumar made a rousing start by blanking Heng Vuthy of Cambodia 8-0 but later lost to reigning world champion Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran.
WOMEN TAKE STAGE
India who won five medals at the Incheon Asian Games, including a gold and a silver, would be expecting more medals when top women wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Pinki, Pooja Dhanda and Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik take the mat on Monday. JAKARTA: Emotions ran high as Bajrang Punia, India’s first gold medallist at the Asian Games on Sunday, dedicated his medal to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who breathed his last after a prolonged illness last week.
“I want to dedicate this medal to former PM Vajpayee ji,” Bajrang said after winning 11-8 against Japanese rival Takatani Daichi.
Bajrang also said speaking to his ‘guru’ and Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt before the final bout helped. “He (Yogeshwar) told me that I had won it in 2014 and you will have to win it this time. A 28-year gap for a wrestling gold (before Yogeshwar broke the jinx) is long,” he said.
“After my loss to Daichi in the past, I saw his videos and drafted my own techniques to handle him in the crunch situation. You can’t say anything in wrestling. I was leading, then he equalised. Such things keep happening, and if you keep thinking too much on how the bout is progressing you might lose the grip on the game.”
Bajrang said he never felt under pressure during his final bout. “I don’t take pressure, and I did the same thing today too. I went out to fight in the middle and didn’t think anything else.”
“I am doing my job people will say what they want to. I don’t pay heed to what people say. I haven’t changed and I am what I used to be. I will dance when I want to, I will not dance when people want me to,” he said, adding, “The celebrations won’t last long as soon after returning home I will get down to prepare for the World Championships.”
“Certainly, it’s a big medal to me. If you win a medal at the Asian Games you become a serious contender for the Olympics and I am already preparing for Tokyo. I am working hard and will try and repeat my performance at World Championship.”