Bajrang Punia helped India win their sixth medal at the 2021 Olympics. The grappler secured a stunning 8-0 win over Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov to claim the bronze medal in the men's 65 kg freestyle category.
After looking a bit defensive yesterday, the Indian came out aggressively today and attacked the Kazakh wrestler right from the start to claim the bronze medal. Here's more on what happened during the bout.
Bajrang Punia claims bronze at the Olympics
The Indian looked in control right from the start. He made things really tough for Niyazbekov, who was not at his potential best on the day. Having faced the Kazakh wrestler before, Bajrang knew what to expect from him. Bajrang scored 2 points in the first round.
He continued his domination in the second round and kept adding to the points. He kept pinning down his opponent, who didn't seem to have any answers to Bajrang's brilliance. At the end of 6 minutes, the Indian prevailed by walking off with an impressive 8-0 win to bag his first Olympic medal.
Bajrang was slated to win gold, which is why he was very disappointed after losing to Haji Aliyev in the semifinals. However, he came back strongly from the disappointment and displayed a fantastic performance to take home the bronze medal.
Fans react to Bajrang Punia's bronze medal at the Olympics
Fans were elated to learn that Bajrang Punia had succeeded in winning India its sixth medal at the 2021 Olympics. The wrestler will now proudly lead the Indian contingent at the closing ceremony, scheduled for August 8. Indian fans, who waited for the wrestler's bronze medal bout for the whole day, poured in with messages of love and appreciation on Twitter. Here is what they had to say: