Deepak Punia in action during the Men’s Freestyle 97kg semifinal bout against Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov on October 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Wrestler Deepak Punia added a second Asian Games medal to his collection, securing the men’s 97kg bronze with a 2-1 victory over Mongolia’s Gankhuyang Ganbataar in Nagoya on Saturday (October 3, 2026).
The 27-year-old Indian, who had won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, had earlier missed out on a place in the final after suffering a narrow 8-9 defeat to Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov in the semifinals.
Moving to 97kg from 86kg weight division, Deepak had begun his campaign with a commanding 12-2 technical superiority win over China’s Junpeng Zhou before receiving a walkover from Hong Kong’s Vincent Fung Wui Li to enter the semifinals.
The bronze adds to a decent international record for Deepak, who won a silver at the 2019 World Championships, and has five Asian Championships medals to his credit.
Published – October 03, 2026 04:37 pm IST
