Deepak Punia wins 97kg freestyle wrestling bronze in Nagoya
Deepak Punia won the bronze medal in the men’s 97kg freestyle wrestling at the Asian Games 2026, beating Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 in the medal bout on Saturday.
The 27-year-old scored two points in the opening period and defended resolutely in the second to seal the podium finish. This is Punia’s second Asian Games medal, after his silver in the 86kg class at Hangzhou 2023.
The bronze ends a 60-year wait for India in the men’s 97kg freestyle category. India’s last medal in the class came from Bhim Singh in 1966.
Punia opened his campaign with a 12-2 win over China’s Zhou Junpeng and got a walkover in the quarterfinal. He lost the semifinal 8-9 to Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov.
It was a strong day for Indian wrestling overall. Aman Sehrawat had earlier won gold in the 57kg category, beating North Korea’s Han Chong-song 11-7.
India finished its Asian Games wrestling campaign with six medals, including two golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
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