Bajrang Punia had to settle for a silver medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship in Delhi. Bajrang who is India's Olympic Games medal prospect for Tokyo was a no match for the Japanese grappler Takuto Otoguro in the finals. The Japanese wrestler easily has beaten Bajrang by 10-2 points and dominated from the word go to win the Gold medal in the 65 kg freestyle category at the Asian Wrestling Championship in Delhi.


Three times the medal winner at the Wrestling World Championships and the Gold medal winner at the Asian Games in Jakarta was a gold medal contender in Delhi. The crowd at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium also came to watch their favorite wrestler but Bajrang couldn't perform up to the expectations.

Earlier in the 2018 World Championship finals, Takuto Otoguro had defeated the Indian grappler as well.

Bajrang started the final encounter with an unimpressive note and could never take a grip on the battle.



Asian Wrestling Championship is a ranking event where the top wrestlers from the continent are getting an opportunity to improve their rankings. While after this event a number of wrestlers will be trying for a quota place for the Tokyo Olympics, Bajrang Punia has already sealed his ticket for Japan in the 65 kg category.

After settling for a silver medal here, Bajrang will have to train hard in the next few months and make himself ready for the Olympics.