Bajrang Punia, born on 26 Feb 1994, is a freestyle wrestler from India. He has recently brought laurels to India by registering a terrific 6-2 win to grab the gold medal over Seungchul Lee of Korea in men's 65kg freestyle in Asian Wrestling Championship. Bajrang Punia is among the lead runners of the next generation of Indian wrestling. He has also qualified for 2018 Commonwealth games. He recently said, “My goal is to win medals in Commonwealth and Asian Games. We’re all fighting for that. We have to be on our toes or risk falling behind the pecking order.”  

"Yeh Dhai Kilo ka Haath Jab kisi pe padta hai toh…. Gold Medal aa hi jata hai!" - Bajrang Punia

Early Life and Background

Bajrang belongs to a family of a rural background in Khudan village of Jhajjar district in the state of Haryana, India. He started wrestling at the age of seven after being pursued by his father Balwan Singh Punia. When he was in school, he used to bunk school along with his friends to go to the "mitti ka akhaada" in their locality. They also started getting small amounts by winning and Bajrang started liking this game and at the end, he gave that a shape of a profession to start a special journey of his life. As Bajrang was not born with a silver spoon so he has to face many monetary hardships during his initial days. However, it was his friend cum guru the famous wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt who has always supported him. He has been training him since childhood and always available for any professional and personal advice.

A Glorious Career and Journey

Bajrang's journey started in 2006 in the field of wrestling when he started going to the stadium to learn this sport professionally. He did his initial training in Chatshal Stadium under the guidance of his coach Shri Mahabaleshwar Pal. In 2014, he joined Yogeshwar Academy and since then he never backed down. He has been through a wonderful journey with so many medals in a very small time.

He has won a Gold medal at recently concluded Asian Championships, 2017 in New Delhi. He also went on winning a Gold medal at Commonwealth Championship, 2016 in Singapore. He grabbed Silver medal at Asian Championships, 2014 in Astana. He won a Silver medal at Asian Games, 2014 in Incheon. He also won a Silver medal in his first attempt at Commonwealth Games, 2014 in Glasgow. He went on winning the Bronze medal at World Championships, 2013 in Budapest. He grabbed the Bronze medal at Asian Championships, 2013 in New Delhi.

Conclusion 

"Haarne ki parwah karte toh jeetna chodd dete" - Bajrang's Quote of life

It is truly said that a person can only lose to himself and that is why Bajrang has no fear of losing. He knows that he needs to believe in himself and as well in the best wishes of 125 crore Indians. Bajrang is the young role model for all the children & youngsters who aspire to pursue wrestling. It is a humble nature that makes him more reachable to any young talent trying to get into the wrestling. Although Bajrang has not faced many failures in the past, he believes that the scope for improvement stays forever in life. We wish him best of luck for the Commonwealth games 2018.