‘Strong contender for Olympics now’

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.”