GUNNING FOR GOLD
World No. 1 Bajrang Punia is India’s best bet for a gold medal at the UWW World Championship 2019, to be held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, from September 14-22. The man with a nerve of steel, determination of a champion and never say die spirit is confidence personified as he talks about his preparation and strong resolve to hoist the tri-color high in Nur-Sultan.
Bajrang Punia was born in Khudan village of Jhajjar district in the state of Haryana in India. He began wrestling at the age of seven and was encouraged to pursue the sport by his father. He has a brother named Harender Singh Punia. In 2015, his family moved to Sonipat for him to attend the regional center of Sports Authority of India. He works as Traveling Ticket Examiner (TTE) with Indian Railways.
WC/Style: 65KG – FS
Medals:
World Championships
Bronze medal – third-place 2013 Budapest 60 kg
Silver medal – second place 2018 Budapest 65 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon 61 kg
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Glasgow 61 kg
Asian Championships
Bronze medal – third-place 2013 New Delhi 60 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Astana 61 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 New Delhi 65 kg
Bronze medal – third-place 2018 Bishkek 65 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Xi’an 65 kg
World U23 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Bydgoszcz 65 kg
Commonwealth Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Singapore[1] 65 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Brakpan 65 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Gold medal – first place 2017 Ashgabat 70 kg
Awards: Arjuna Award, 2015
Padma Shri Award 2019
Bajrang Punia
Seniors World Championships 2019
