How did Bajrang Punia inspire Deepak Punia to take up wrestling?
Both athletes mastered their art at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi
Not only their surnames, Deepak Punia and Bajrang Punia have a lot of other similarities as well. They hail from the same Jhajjar district in Haryana, honed their skills in the same akharas, and even mastered their art at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. In fact, both of them have been seeded second in their respective categories by UWW (United World Wrestling) for Tokyo 2020. The 22-year-old has grown up idolizing Bajrang.
"We have attended a lot of camps together. He is a very senior wrestler. Whenever I am in doubt or have any problem, I talk to him about it. He is always there to help and motivate me," he had narrated previously to Times of India.
Much like his senior peer, his journey from the akharas to the Olympic mat has been riddled with hardships and disappointments. When he won his first dangal at the akhara he was given prize money of just INR 5.
However, he continued to persevere to be amongst the best and soon started to make a name for himself in the domestic landscape. His parents, despite their financial troubles, stood like a rock behind Deepak, as they wanted their son to make it big.
In the upcoming Olympics, just like Bajrang, he is also touted to finish on the podium. During the lockdown in 2020, the wrestler did not put his feet off the pedal. Instead, he had an akhara built for himself in Narela, a small hamlet in the Delhi-Haryana border, and sweated it out under the guidance of his personal coach.
“I have worked a lot in some areas. I didn't go out with friends. I was focusing on my training," he had stated.
Although Punia lost 4-1 to Piotr Ianulov of Moldova in the individual World Cup in Belgrade in December 2020, he came back strongly in the Asian Championship in Almaty in April where he went on to bag a silver medal. However, in the final, he was given a reality check by the reigning Olympic and world champion Hassan Yazdani as the Iranian won the match 10-0 on technical superiority. Just like Bajrang, Deepak too suffered for his weak leg defence and a shrewd Yazdani made him pay with quick takedowns. His power and force were not enough to stop the top-seeded wrestler and the match was over in under three minutes.
Needless to say that Yazdani will be the main challenger for him in his quest for a gold medal in Tokyo. What is more concerning, he withdrew from the Poland Open last month after feeling a niggle in his left elbow during the warm-up session of his first match. It remains to be seen if Punia has recovered well from that injury and is ready to give his best in his debut Olympic campaign.