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.