If his defence let him down in the semifinal against Hazi Aliev, Bajrang’s smart attacking moves made him a 8-0 winner against Kazakhstan’s Niyazbekov, to whom he had lost in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Championship.
It’s OFFICIAL! Bajrang Punia is now an Olympic #bronze medallist! 👏The #IND grappler defeated Daulet Niyazbekov o… https://t.co/Bnev1WvCJ5
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) 1628333963000
With Bajrang’s medal, Indian wrestlers have matched their best performance at the Olympic Games. At the 2012 London Games, Sushil Kumar won a silver and Yogeshwar Dutt returned with a bronze.
Delightful news from #Tokyo2020! Spectacularly fought @BajrangPunia. Congratulations to you for your accomplishment… https://t.co/IkqaNeFsGR
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1628334140000
With his podium, India also equalled their best ever Olympic medal haul of six achieved in the 2012 London edition.
Another medal by another top class fighter! Great performance! #BajrangPunia https://t.co/plwougtEiB
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) 1628334811000
Bajrang had defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev and Iran’s Morteza Cheka Ghiasi before losing to Hazai Aliev from Azerbaijan in the semifinals on Friday.