Deepak Punia wins wrestling bronze in 97kg freestyle
Wrestler Deepak Punia won the bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 97kg category at the Asian Games 2026.
Punia beat Gankhuyag Ganbaatar of Mongolia 2-1 in the bronze-medal bout. The win gave India its first Asian Games medal in the men’s freestyle 97kg category in 60 years. The last medallist in the event was Bhim Singh, who won bronze in 1966.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Punia had won silver in the men’s 86kg freestyle event. He moved up a weight class for the Nagoya Games and still reached the podium.
The bronze was part of a strong wrestling showing for India on the final days of competition. Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s 57kg freestyle, beating reigning world champion Han Chong-Song 11-7.
India’s overall wrestling performance helped the country finish fourth on the medal table with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.
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