Abhinandan was on my mind: Wrestler Bajrang Punia after winning gold

India's star grappler Bajrang, who won gold at the Dan Kolov event in Bulgaria yesterday, doffs his hat and dedicates medal to IAF Wing Commander

India's star wrestler Bajrang Punia, who won the 65kg freestyle gold medal at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in Ruse, Bulgaria yesterday, revealed he drew added motivation to excel on the mat from Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

Punia beat USA's Jordan Oliver 12-3 in the final to bag maximum ranking points besides the yellow metal. IAF pilot Abhinandan was captured on Wednesday (February 27) by the Pakistan army during a bout of Indo-Pak aggression and released on Friday (March 1) as a goodwill gesture by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Abhinandan Varthaman

Punia said he had been following every moment of the incident from Bulgaria. "I just couldn't get it [Abhinandan's capture] off my mind. Throughout the tournament [Feb 28 to March 3], I kept thinking about Abhinandan and how the Pakistanis must be treating him. Even during my training sessions, I was a bit distracted as I kept checking on Abhinandan's progress through friends and social media on my phone. He's a brave son of the soil and I'm proud to draw inspiration from him. I dedicate this medal to him," Punia told mid-day over the phone from Bulgaria yesterday.

Punia, the reigning world championship silver medalist, is keen to meet the pilot back home. "I will be returning to India tomorrow [Monday] to prepare for the selection trials for April's Asian Championships in China. I believe Abhinandan lives in Delhi, while I will be in Haryana which is not too far away, so I hope to get the opportunity to meet him," said the 2018 CWG and Asian Games gold medal-winning grappler, who has been in red-hot form, having won four gold medals and one silver in his last five competitions.

"After a great 2018, it's nice to begin this year also on a positive note. Though the Asian Championships is my next tournament, the most important event of the year is the World Wrestling Championships to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, in September, as it's an Olympics qualifier.

"The idea it to get to Tokyo 2020 from Astana and then aim to make history for my country. India has not yet won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, so that remains my ultimate ambition," Punia signed off.

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