In Pics: Wrestling sensation Bajrang Punia, his Phogat connect and more
Bajrang Punia has lived up to his billing as one of the top wrestlers from India, easing into the 65kg category semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday (August 6). Punia is the 2018 Asian Games champion, two-time Asian Championships gold medallist and 2018 World Championships silver medallist as well. In these collection of pictures, we take a look at some unknown facts about top wrestler Bajrang Punia.
Bajrang Punia's World Championships record
Bajrang Punia's wife Sangeeta Phogat is also a wrestler
Bajrang Punia poses at the Tokyo Olympics Athletes Village ahead of his wrestling event. Bajrang is married to Sangeeta Phogat, the youngest of the Phogat family of wrestlers including sisters Geeta, Babita, and Rita, and cousins Priyanka and Vinesh, who were all raised by her father Mahavir Singh Phogat. Sangeeta is also a freestyle wrestler with multiple medals at national level. (Source: Twitter)
Bajrang Punia began wrestling at age of 7
Bajrang Punia, who hails from Khudan village in Jhajjar district of Haryana, began wrestling at the age of just seven. He was encouraged to take up the sport by his father Balwan Singh Punia. "In Haryana, virtually every village has ample space where children play either wrestling or kabaddi on the soil. My elder brother would go to the akhaada (wrestling pit) every day and I started accompanying him," Bajrang is quoted as saying. (Source: Twitter)