The 19-year-old, who became the youngest Indian wrestler ever to make it to the finals, also bagged a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Saturday.
Junior World Champion Deepak Punia after defeating Colombian grappler Carlos Mendez 7-6 in the quarter-finals in 86-kg freestyle category during the ongoing World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on Sep 21, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
India’s emerging wrestling star Deepak Punia has been forced to pull out of the final of the Wrestling World Championships owing to injury. Punia was supposed to contest in the finals of the 86 Kg category but since he pulled out of the competition, he had to settle for the silver medal.
According to reports, Punia has sustained an injury on his leg and even has a slight swelling on his eye. It is also being reported that he picked up both the injuries in the first round itself.
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The 19-year-old, who became the youngest Indian wrestler ever to make it to the finals, also bagged a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Saturday.
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Deepak, who had emerged as the winner in the World Cadet Title in 2016, became the fourth Indian wrestler to confirm qualification for the Tokyo Olympics this week. Earlier, following Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya had already cemented their place in the Tokyo Olympics.
While the other wrestlers bagged home a bronze, Deepak would be the only Indian to come home with a silver medal.
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