Bajrang Punia increases India's tally at Ashgabat 2017 with gold

What’s the story?

Bajrang Punia, an Indian wrestler hailing from Haryana, has done India proud at Ashgabat. On the ninth day of the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Punia won a gold medal to further India's medal tally.

In case you didn’t know...

The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games is a multi-sport event held across Asia. The Games have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).The ongoing event is the fifth event to be held so far. It is being held at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan from 17th – 27th September 2017.

The heart of the matter

Bajrang Punia the reigning champion at Asia beat Daichi Takatani from Japan in the category of Men's Freestyle (65 kg).

Along with Puniya, female wrestlers, Navjot Kaur and Sheetal Tomar grabbed a bronze medal each. Kaur won a bronze in the category of Women's Freestyle (69 kg), while Tomar won a bronze in the category of Women's Freestyle (48 kg).

Apart from wrestling, Krishnan Sasikiran won a bronze medal in Men's Standard Chess (Individual).

Among the stands comes India at the 12th spot out of 36 nations. India has managed to win 11 bronze, 7 silver, and 6 gold medals which adds up to a decent total of 26 medals.

What’s next?

WIth only a couple of days to go until the sporting event comes to a close, India will look to further increase their tally of medals and hopefully go up the ladder.

Author’s take

It is truly wonderful to see India's athletes shine at one of the biggest events in the continent. Punia has been one of India's best male wrestlers in recent times and his medal is a testament to his fine run.