Wrestler Bajrang clinches Asiad gold

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia produced a determined performance to win the gold medal in the men’s freestyle 65kg category at the 18th Asian Games, defeating Japan’s Daichi Takatani 11-8 in a closely fought final on Sunday.

The victory gave Bajrang his second consecutive Asian Games gold medal. He had previously won the 61kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, making him one of India’s most successful wrestlers at the continental event.

Uzbekistan’s Sirojiddin Khasanov and Kazakhstan’s Sayatbek Okassov shared the bronze medals.

Bajrang made an explosive start to the final, racing into a 6-0 lead within the opening couple of minutes. Takatani, however, refused to surrender and fought back strongly, scoring four consecutive points before the interval to reduce the deficit.

The Japanese wrestler continued his comeback after the break and levelled the contest at 6-6 shortly after the restart. What followed was a tense, see-saw battle, with both wrestlers fighting aggressively during the closing stages.

Bajrang kept his composure under pressure and managed to edge ahead when it mattered most, securing an 11-8 victory and another major international title.

His road to the final had been equally impressive. Bajrang began his campaign against Khasanov and initially found himself under pressure after the Uzbek wrestler took a 3-0 lead.

The Indian responded emphatically, scoring six unanswered points to take a 6-3 advantage at the break. He then completely took control in the second round, scoring seven points within two minutes to move 13-3 ahead and win by technical superiority.

A wrestler wins by technical superiority when he establishes a lead of 10 or more points.

In the quarter-finals, Bajrang faced Tajikistan’s Fayziev Abdulqosim and again won by technical superiority. He built a commanding 9-2 lead in the opening round before adding three more points within the first 30 seconds of the second round to complete a 12-2 victory.

He continued his dominant run in the semi-finals, defeating Mongolia’s Batmagnai Batchuluun 10-0 by technical superiority.

Bajrang’s gold was a significant boost for India’s campaign at the Jakarta Asian Games and further strengthened his reputation as one of the country’s leading wrestling stars. His ability to recover from difficult situations and finish bouts strongly proved decisive in his successful title defence.