Bajrang Punia: I want to win an Olympic medal in Tokyo badly

India’s star wrestler Bajrang Punia insists he has worked hard enough despite the COVID-19 disruption, to end up successful in his first-ever appearance at the Olympics

This is Bajrang Punia’s maiden Olympics, but given the solid reputation he has earned after some stupendous international achievements across the last few years, anything less than a medal in Tokyo will be viewed as a failure for the star grappler.

He is the only Indian wrestler to have three World Championship medals to his name besides gold medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games among other feats. An Olympic medal seems to be the obvious progression for the World No. 2 grappler in the 65kg category, but that’s easier said than done, he insists. 

In an interview with mid-day, speaking from his training base in Vladikavkaz, Russia, the JSW Sports athlete discusses the pressure of expectation, the COVID-19 disruption and an improvement in his leg defence, a shortcoming that led to many close defeats in the past.

Punia leaves for Tokyo on July 29 and his competition is on August 6-7.

Edited excerpts

Considering you’ve won almost everything in wrestling except an Olympic medal, how badly do you want that medal in Tokyo?
I want to win an Olympic medal in Tokyo badly, not just for myself but for my country. It is every athlete’s dream to win an Olympic medal and I have no hesitation in admitting that I share that dream. It would be great to win a medal in my first-ever appearance at the Olympic Games.

You’re entering the Games as World No 2. Does this make you a sure-shot medal prospect?
I never enter any tournament with my ranking or previous performances in mind, because that can lead to over-confidence and a possibility that I may underestimate my opponents. I can’t let that happen. I just want to focus on giving my best and maintaining belief in my training. I never think too much about rankings because I believe that at the Olympics, every wrestler is capable of beating his or her opponent.

How did the Coronavirus-forced lockdown affect your training and competition plans?
There have been many difficulties in the last 18 months due to the COVID-19 situation. It is a constant challenge to keep ourselves safe and healthy, but we have to also focus on training for the Olympics. Wrestling is a contact sport, so it was very difficult for my coaches to find training partners, given the stringent safety protocols. Then, the biggest challenge was the lack of competitive tournaments in the lockdown. Competitions are very important in the run-up to any major tournament. At this stage, competitions serve as training platforms for better preparation.

How difficult will it be for you to perform at the highest level given the strict COVID-19 protocols in Tokyo where regular movement and human interaction are restricted?
It’s tricky because we have to also remain fit and healthy, else we can’t compete. But maintaining those COVID-19 protocols in Japan is for my own benefit too. Everyone will have to get used to them and compete. It’s not too difficult because we have been training under these regulations for over 18 months now. 

Have you taken any advice from senior wrestlers like Sushil Kumar (two-time Olympic medallist) or Yogeshwar Dutt (2012 London bronze)?
I’ve not been in touch with either Sushil bhai or Yogeshwar bhai in recent years. I’ve been busy working with the Indian coaches and my personal coach [Georgia’s Shako Bentinidis]. I only interact with them. They’re working hard on my training and strategy.

Your leg defence was something you were working on after the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Any improvement there?
I have seen a lot of improvement in my leg defence in the tournaments this year as compared to the previous year [he won gold at the Rome Ranking Series event in January and settled for silver at the Asian Championships in Almaty in April after being forced to withdraw from the final due to injury]. That gives me the confidence that I am doing the right things in training. Both, at the Rome event and the Asian Championships, I did not give away any points to my opponents by letting them grab my legs. I defended well. This only means that I have become better.

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