Bajrang Punia happy to have won CWG 2022 gold playing his ‘natural, attacking game’ | Commonwealth Games 2022 News
He looks tired. “Abhi so ke utha hu,” he answered a question if he was celebrating. It’s almost like hearing someone finish a routine shift and start a good night’s sleep.
Bajrang conceded just two points on the way to the second Commonwealth Games in the 65kg weight class. But if someone mentions the word ‘easy’ to him, his answer is quite simple. “Nobody comes to the Commonwealth Games to lose.”
The Tokyo Olympics The bronze medalist made a very interesting comparison between his two CWG gold medalists. “In 2018, I didn’t have an Olympic medal, but I came here because I won an Olympic medal.”
It suggests that, maybe somewhere, reputation is at stake. And the Indian track and field athletes did just that on the opening day of the wrestling event in Birmingham, with all six winning medals including three golds won by Bajrang, Deepak Punia and Sakshi Malik.
Excerpts from the invited TimesofIndia.com press conference:
Your first reaction..
It feels good to repeat 2018. The weaknesses after the Olympics were there, I improved on that.
Many congratulations to all our Indian wrestlers 🤼 for such a spectacular performance at… https://t.co/zkZYjNQaZV
– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 1659779494000
Will the fierce wrestler Bajrang finally return?
I’ve always played aggressively. People say, “Olympic ke baad wo Bajrang dikhayi nahi deta (we didn’t see the same Bajrang after the Olympics). I’m doing it, because a player lost an important point because of injury. 2-3. months of training later Recovering from my leg injury has helped me to improve. I know how I played offensively or played safely and will overcome any shortcomings left in my game. me.
@BajrangPunia talent is synonymous with consistency and excellence. He won a Gold at the Birmingham CWG. I… https://t.co/hJk73XsoGQ
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1659719615000
Is there pressure?
No pressure. I just want to emulate my practice in the competition. Now I have played a lot of tournaments. I don’t pressure that these are big games or championships. I just focus on giving my best.
How is this CWG Gold different from the one you won in 2018 on the Gold Coast?
In 2018, when I won gold, I didn’t have an Olympic medal. This (in Birmingham) is new. I won an Olympic medal (in Tokyo), then fought through injury. So both have their own importance. And keep World Championship In our mind, we knew we had to perform well.
Congratulations to Bajrang Punia for winning a second straight gold medal in wrestling at #CommonwealthGames & creati… https://t.co/idqui9UKzM
– President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) 1659719186000
What would you say to those who feel that competition is relatively easy at CWG?
If someone said that fighting is easy, I would disagree with that. In wrestling, we have to fight with the strength of the opponent. No one comes to lose, but only to win, no matter what medal it may be. We don’t know in advance about the opponent, how he will fight or how well he has prepared. Everything is decided on that mat.
Bajrang Punia has done it again!!! Congratulations on winning your first GOLD in wrestling in #CWG2022! Bajr… https://t.co/yIMASZoLEq
– Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) 1659719423000
What’s next from here?
In September there’s the World Championships, then the Paris Olympics in 2024. But I’m focusing on the World Championships at the moment, even though the big goal is the Olympics. Just like you need to take the stairs to get to the rooftop, we have to enter the tournaments one by one. And what I couldn’t do in Tokyo (win gold), I wanted to do in Paris.
Extremely proud of @BajrangPunia for winning a Gold Medal at #CommonwealthGamesCongratulations to Bajrang Punia for mak… https://t.co/oWuru5zf39
– Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) 1659725456000
Are you personally satisfied with your performance?
There are a lot of differences compared to the previous one. I played offensively, played in my natural wrestling style and succeeded. So I’m going to try to get into the World Championship with the same form and win a medal there.