Name: Bajrang Punia
Event: Wrestling – Freestyle
The 24-year-old young Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has opened India’s account in yellow medal by winning the gold medal in 65 kg category in the Asian Games 2018 at the Jakarta Palembang.
Biggest win in 2018: Gold medal in Commonwealth Games
Biggest win: Gold medal at Asian Wrestling Championship in 2017.
Bajrang Punia had also won the silver medal in Commonwealth Games 2014. Punia was born in Khudan, Jhajjar district of Haryana. He started practising wrestling at a tender age of seven.
Punia created a buzz in the wrestling world after he won the bronze medal in 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships in the 60-kg category. Just a year later, Punia went one step ahead and won the silver medal (in 61 kg category) in the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in 2014.
Punia’s biggest win came in May 2017 when he won the gold medal in Asian Wrestling Championship; he also won the yellow medal at the Commonwealth Championship.
Bajrang Punia secured the silver medal for India in November 2017 at the U-23 Senior World Wrestling Championships, the medal was also his first at the world level in the Olympics weight category. Punia also won the gold medal in Commonwealth Games 2018 in the 57 kg category.
Bajrang Punia is also a recipient of India’s highest sporting honour Arjuna award.