Wrestling News: Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia gave a strong reply to world champ Gadzhimurad Rashidov for his “Bajrang is too comfy for me” comment. He said, ‘we will decide it on the mat’. Both Bajrang and Rashidov are the best wrestlers in the 65kg freestyle but are yet to lock horns on the mat. However, with a complete whitewash of 2020 calendar, the only place the two are likely to meet is at the Tokyo Olympics. Bajrang says that his Russian counterpart must be a good wrestler, however, the debate for who is the best can only be decided on the mat. “He is a good wrestler but let him say what he wants. It is his opinion. But, in reality, these things are decided on the mat. And that is where we will see who is the best”.
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Rashidov is the current world champion in the middle-weight category. In an interview to Russian Wrestling Federation (RWF) when asked about his thoughts on Bajrang challenge for the Olympics, he said that he is too comfortable with the Indian wrestler’s wrestling style and can see right through him. “Bajrang, of course, is a strong fighter, but it seems to me that he is a convenient opponent for me. I know his weaknesses and I don’t think I will have a big problem when we fight. He is too comfy for me”.
This had left Bajrang coach Shako Bentindis furious who claimed that Rashidov is afraid of Bajrang and therefore is playing mental games now. “He already showed one weakness to us when we fought in Makhachkala at Ali Aliev tournament (2019). When Rashidov found out that Bajrang is also entering the competition, he pulled back from it,” he said.
However, unlike Shako the Indian wrestler is calm and is preparing equally for all his competitors. “I know his weakness which I will not reveal. But I am not concentrating solely on him. For me all the wrestlers are equal, and concentrating on one will prove detrimental for my Olympic dream,” the three-time world medallist said told WrestlingTV from Bangalore.
Bajrang has moved to Bangalore for training for the Olympics. “I am currently doing my fitness training. Coach sends me the training schedule, and accordingly, we plan it. There are no changes as for now in the training plan. We will review it once after he returns to India and things get normal”.