BUDAPEST (HUNGARY), Oct 19: Asian Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia will be India�s best bet for a medal in the World Wrestling Championship as a 30-member team seeks a strong performance in the flagship event beginning here on Saturday.
Already a bronze winner at the 2013 World Championship, Bajrang has come a long way in the last five years, establishing himself as a force to reckon with in the 65kg category.
He was ignored for the prestigious Khel Ratna Award last month but he has left behind the snub and trained hard to have a shot at bettering the colour of his 2013 medal.
Considering the ease with which he won gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, Bajrang will be one of the medal favourites. The only Indian to be seeded at this championship, Bajrang will compete on the second day of the championship on Sunday.
With Russia�s Illya Bekbulatov, a silver medal winner at the 2018 European championship pulling out, Turkey�s top seed Selahattin Kilicsallayan would be the one to watch out for in the 65kg category.
�We have had very good training sessions since the past couple of weeks followed by quality sparring. We also had the chance to take a good look at the opponent wrestlers and I am confident that we will not fall short on the mat,� said Bajrang. � PTI
