Indian wrestler Deepak Punia is going through the toughest phase of his life. The passing away of his mother Krishna Devi amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus has been tough on the young wrestler. But despite all the problems, the World Championship medallist is determined to help the poor. “I feed the workers in and around my village. I give them 10 kg flour so that they can cook for themselves,” he says.
Deepak qualified for the Olympics after securing a silver medal at the 2019 worlds held in Nur-Sultan. But the pandemic forced him to return home in Jhajjar, Haryana. Now, in lockdown, he believes that he must help the needy and the country to combat the deadly virus.
“I and my friends travel to nearby villages. Sometimes we give them food items and if there is a relief camp, we serve them food too,” the Asian Championships bronze medallist told WrestlingTV.
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But even while performing his duty towards the nation, he has not forgotten about his responsibility as a wrestler. The 21-year-old continues to train hard with the Tokyo Games in mind. “I start my training at 6 am every day. I go to the akhara in my village and do some technique practice. The morning session can last from anywhere between one to two hours”.
After finishing his hard and rigorous training session, Deepak says he takes proper rest to get ready for the evening workout. “Evening session is more meticulous. In it, I do weight training and running. I began at 4 pm and finish at 7 pm”. “After this, I return home to eat my dinner, and then just go for a small walk with friends to freshen up”.
The Haryana-born wrestler stays in touch with his coaches including Murad Gaidarov. He says,” They help me in making the training schedule. Murad keeps telling me to take care of myself and follow all the precautionary measures. Apart from this, he also instructs me on how to train given the current situation”.
When Deepak had left Chhatrasal Akhara, where he trains with fellow wrestler and Olympic hopeful Ravi Dahiya, he weighed 90kg. He says weight is a concern for all wrestlers and the only way to cut it down would be to train harder and longer when things normalize.
“We have to work harder. There is no other option. Weight will be an issue, but we are in control of our diet and as soon things normalize, we will sweet it out on the mat,” he says.
The last tournament Deepak played was the Asian Championship, where he won a bronze. He says it would have been good if the Tokyo Games were held this year but since they are not, the form of the wrestlers will be a little concern. However, he even has a solution to it. “Mat dangals would be a good way to test our mettle until the UWW releases the new calendar”.
The United World Wrestling (UWW) is yet to announce its new calendar for 2020. The world governing body had cancelled all the tournament until July in the wake of COVID-19. Deepak believes that it will be good for wrestlers worldwide to rejuvenate before start preparations for the Olympics.
