Indian wrestlers put up a scintillating performance to outdo, outwit and outshine their opponents on Day 8 of the Commonwealth Games, as Anshu Malik won silver and Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Deepak Punia won gold medals.
Bajrang Punia clinched his second successive gold medal in the event by defeating Lachlan McNeill of Canada in the men’s freestyle 65kg category final.
Anshu Malik, who competed in her first Commonwealth Games, lost in the final to Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye of Nigeria in the women’s 57kg freestyle event.
Sakshi Malik came next and went up against Canada’s Godinez Gonzalez. She was 4 points down, but taking an aggressive route she pinned her Canadian counterpart to the mat, won by fall, and secured another gold for India.
Deepak Punia came in last, took Pakistan’s bounty and won another gold for India, beating them 3–0 to win another gold. Divya Kakran also won bronze at the end of the event as she defeated Cocker Lemali of Tonga by pinfall.
road to final
Bajrang’s dominance was in front of everyone as he did not lose a single point in the final.
The 28-year-old defending champion defeated Nauru’s Louv Bingham and Mauritius’ Jean Guillian Joris Bando by ‘fall’ before winning by technical superiority against England’s Geroge Ram.
Bajrang has been struggling to play independently since last year, and his over-defensive tactics put a question mark on his ability to expand his dominance in the international arena, but on Friday he made his move without a hitch .
A rapid rise in her career, Anshu Malik reached the women’s 57kg final with a similar dominance. The 20-year-old won with technical superiority against Australia’s Irene Simonidis and Sri Lanka’s Nethmi Ahimsa Fernando Poruthotz.
It did not take long for Anshu to measure his opponents. His trademark aggression and quality were too hot for any of his rivals to handle. For Sakshi Malik, who has been fighting for relevance for a long time, it was a perfect opportunity to regain some confidence, and she used it to an optimum level in the 62kg competition.
He began by pinning home team wrestler Kelsey Barnes and then with a technical superiority win against Berthe Emilion of Cameroon. He has bronze and silver in his Commonwealth Games collection. Also making it to the gold medal round was Deepak Punia (86kg), who was not looking as impressive and sharp self but still won his bout without giving a point to his rivals.
The wrestler from Chhara Village started off with a technical superiority win over New Zealand’s Matthew Clay Oxenham and defeated Canada’s Alexander Moore 3–1 in a gold medal match against Pakistan’s Muhammad Inam.
Overall, it was a great day for Indian wrestlers and one that spoke of absolute dominance.
(Inputs PTI)