Getting into World Cups, Olympics, and Championships is a dream of every sports person as it provides a platform to showcase one’s talent and get acknowledged at a wider level. Recently, Deepak Punia defeated Carlos Arturo Izquierdo Mendez of Colombia in the quarter-finals of World Wrestling Championships 2019 and secured an Olympics quota for Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The World Wrestling Championships 2019 was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan from 14th September to 22nd September 2019 in Barys Arena Stadium. As the tournament served as qualification for 2020 Summer Olympics which is also known as Tokyo Olympics 2020, it is important for the wrestlers to perform well and earn their NOCs a qualification.
Deepak Punia, junior World Champion had earlier he made a comeback to recover from 0-5 deficit to win 8-6 against Kazhakstan’s Adilet Davlumbayev as Punia was wrestled out of the mat by Davlumbayev in the first minute but he managed to level the score later. Davlumbayev requested for a challenge when the score was 7-7and Punia was rewarded one more point by referees. He defeated Turkmenistan’s Kodirov 6-0 to reach the last-8 on Saturday. He reigned over junior World Champion title and was into the line of senior world title by reaching the 86kg final apart from booking his Tokyo Olympics quota.
But unfortunately, on Sunday his withdrew from his gold medal match in the men’s 86kg match at World Wrestling Championships against Iranian Wrestler Hassan Yazdani after a leg injury. Deepak said, “I suffered an injury during my first bout. My left leg is still swollen. I wanted to win a gold medal for my country but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. I thought I will recover in time but failed to recover.” He already had a thumb and shoulder injury before the World Championships and now has to settle for the silver medal. He is the only Indian to enter a final in this edition of the World Championships.
On the other hand, Rahul Aware is also doing a remarkable job and has moved to semi-finals in the 61kg non-Olympic category. He defeated former Asian Champion Kayliyev of Kazakhstan in a 10-7 encounter and reached the last four of 61kg category.
It is a bitter-sweet situation for him and the country as on one hand he qualified for Tokyo Olympics and on the other hand, he could not chase a hat-trick of gold medals as he won gold in the Cadet World Championships and then the Junior World Championships. He said, “I wish I could play the final but you know the injury is part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life.” Talking about getting an Olympic quota, Deepak said, “It’s an honor for me. I am excited that I am going to Tokyo and I promise I won’t disappoint the country.” Thus, Sushil Kumar remains the only Indian world Champion as he won a gold medal in 66kg in the 2010 World Championship in Moscow.
Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar had already managed to get the quota for 2020 Games and also won bronze medals in their respective weight categories. Hopefully, Deepak Punia will recover soon and perform his best in Tokyo Olympics 2020!
