Wrestling

Deepak Punia Wins UWW Junior Freestyle Wrestler Of The Year

World Champion silver medalist Deepak Punia has been named the Junior freestyle wrestler of the year by United World Wrestling (UWW) after an impressive season during which he made a phenomenal change from Junior to the senior circuit.

Punia had a breakthrough season when he became the first Indian wrestler in 18 years to win a junior world title. He then backed it up with a silver medal on his debut at the senior World Wrestling Championships.

When quizzed about how he felt after winning the award, he said; I am thrilled. It is a high prestige and honor for me to be selected among all the wrestlers from the world over. This is a significant source of inspiration for me to keep improving and giving my all”.

18-year old Punia, who has a lot of maturity, resourcefulness, and fearless on the big stage, made him the only Indian wrestler to make it o the final at Nur-Sultan.

However, an injury prevented him from taking the mat against Hassan Yazdani of Iran in the final. Still, Punia made it a debut to remember by grabbing a highly-coveted Tokyo Olympics berth in 86kg also.

This brilliant display propelled him to the No.1 position in 86kg in the UWW rankings. Punia, who is also a champion of the cadet world championships in 2016, is under the tutelage of Beijing Olympics silver medalist Murad Gaidarov.

Punia revealed he had been satisfied with the few days of training he had so far, and making sure Gaidarov has been working on his weaknesses, ground wrestling, and speed work and feels he is getting better.

His [Punia] confidence level no doubt has been steadily increasing, as we’ve seen in his previous matches. And there is a great feeling that he will give his 100% at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024