Lion, Tamer

Bajrang Punia is the new poster boy of Indian wrestling. The former holder of that title, Sushil Kumar, is now at a crossroads

- Anirudh Madhavan/ Jakarta

HIS SINGLET RED, the mat blue, his medal gold and his form purple. The moment Bajrang Punia entered the wrestling arena at the GBK stadium complex in Jakarta, there was an air of when and not if. It was his day. And he looked like he believed it.

As his teammates were falling by the wayside, most notably the veteran Sushil Kumar, Bajrang stood like a rock. His namesake god had once carried a mountain to help revive an ailing Lakshman. Bajrang, 24, did something similar for India’s ailing freestyle team. It was, without doubt, a performance worthy of superlatives.

He charged past his opponents in the 65kg category, winning the first three bouts on technical superiority, and had a lead of six points in the opening minute and a half of the final. Though there was a tense period, in which Daichi Takatani clawed back, Bajrang overcame the Japanese wrestler to give India its first gold at the 2018 Asian Games. “There was absolutely no pressure on me,” he told THE WEEK. “I had everyone’s support. As I have said before, I do not take pressure. I just wrestle. I just give my 100 per cent on the mat.”

Throughout the day, Bajrang had been quick on his feet, looking to attack and counterattack. “My coach tells me that attack is the best form of defence,” he said.