'He fulfilled my dreams' - Bajrang Punia's father reveals his thirst for more at Paris 2024

Bajrang Punia had a lot of expectations on him when he stepped out on to the wrestling mat at Tokyo 2020. Hampered by a knee injury, the 27-year-old failed to reach the final in the 65kg category but made amends by demolishing his opponent in the bronze medal play-off.

And Bajrang's moment of glory has been an uplifting one for his father Balwan who introduced him to wrestling at the age of nine in a local akhada (wrestling pit) in Khudan village, Haryana. And Bajrang's exploits at Tokyo 2020 have seen Balwan relive his own dreams through his son.

Balwan himself was a wrestler who dreamt of bringing glory for his country but could not do so, owing to situations beyond his control.

"I couldn't continue with wrestling as the situation in my family was tough but Bajrang fulfilled my dreams. I was passionate about wrestling and I was the one to bring him into the sport at the age of nine," Balwan Punia told Olympics.com.

His father also wanted him to pursue primary education but never forced him against his wishes. It happened so that after being introduced to mud wrestling at a young age, Bajrang would often skip school, to perfect his art.

"He (Bajrang Punia) used to be a very simple and smart kid. He wouldn't prank around a lot and simply did his task. But he didn't want to study and had told me about it. He had told me from the beginning only that he wanted to do wrestling," Balwan recalled.

And that determination was one of the reasons Bajrang landed an Olympic bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. The 27-year-old, however, is not satisfied with the colour of the medal as he believes that he deserves better and his father agrees.

"Bajrang had told me that day (after he won bronze), 'Papa, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, I will change the colour of the medal and if the countrymen keep supporting me in the same way then I can bring home plenty more medals'," Balwan said.

"He would have won a gold medal. It is just due to the injury that he clinched a bronze. I have faith in him that whenever he goes out (for a tournament), he has never returned empty handed," he added.

Punia, meanwhile, returned home to a grand welcome with his friends and family waiting to receive him at the airport in New Delhi. His mother had also prepared his favourite sweet dish to welcome his son who is also the pride of the nation.

"To welcome Bajrang (Punia) at home, her mother prepared gur ka churma (a sweet dish)," his father revealed.

The Haryana wrestler, now, has a medal each from the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Championships hanging in his cabinet. But as his father suggests, "yeh ismein rukne waala nai hain (he will not be satisfied with this)".