Star wrestler Bajrang Punia has been dealt a major setback as he has lost in the national selection trials for the Paris Olympic qualifiers. Tokyo Olympic (2020) bronze medalist, Bajrang was defeated by Rohit Kumar in the freestyle 65 kg semi-final match, with a conclusive 9-1 victory for Rohit. Rohit is now set to clash with Sujit in the finals.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Ravi Dahiya also faced defeat, being beaten by Udit in the 57 kg freestyle category with a close 10-8. The winners of the trials now have a chance to participate in the Paris Olympic qualifiers, meaning that Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia will miss the opportunity to compete in the Paris Olympics. The trials were held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Academy in Sonipat.
Previously, Bajrang had participated in the Asian Games without any trials
Last year, Bajrang Punia faced a disappointing loss in the semifinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Not only that, but he was also defeated 10-0 by Japan's K. Yamaguchi in the bronze medal match. Following his defeat, there was an uproar on social media as he had not competed in any qualifying competitions prior to the Asian Games. His inclusion in the Indian squad for these games without a trial faced criticism as well.
Source: aajtak
Bajrang Punia was among the wrestlers who protested against the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) former president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh and sat on a dharna. Bajrang Punia had written to the United World Wrestling (UWW) pleading for action against the WFI. However, only a few days later, the UWW lifted the ban imposed on the WFI.
In 2019, Bajrang Punia qualified for the Olympics for the first time by reaching the semi-finals of the World Wrestling Championship held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. During that championship, Bajrang secured a bronze medal, marking his third medal in the World Wrestling Championships. Although there were high hopes for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Bajrang had to settle for bronze. In the 65 kg category bronze medal match, Bajrang Punia defeated Kazakhstan's wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov with a dominant 8-0 score.
Bajrang also claimed gold at the previous Commonwealth Games
Bajrang Punia achieved gold for India at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, as expected, by outwrestling Canada's L. McLean with a 9-2 score in the men's freestyle 65 kg category final. This was Bajrang Punia's second consecutive Commonwealth Games gold and his third medal overall. However, following that golden victory, he has not seen much success.
