Yogi Bhai has told me ‘Gold lekar aana’ for every competition, reveals Bajrang Punia
Bajrang Punia has lavished praise on former India wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt whom the former considers as his mentor as they both wrestle in the same 65 kg category. The 25-year old wrestler further added that he is totally focused on doing well in the upcoming Asian Championships.
Indian Commonwealth Games medalist Bajrang Punia has been in brilliant form of late and has won seven gold medals in the last eight tournaments that he has participated in over the last year or so. The 25-year old wrestler has also bagged gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asiad. Punia has been under the tutelage of Rio 2016 medalist Yogeshwar Dutt who also wrestled in the same weight category (65 kg) as his mentor.
In a recent interview with TOI, Punia has credited his recent success on the international arena to Dutt who has helped him improve his game to go from an underdog to a crowd favourite in recent months.
“Yogi bhai has a simple message before every tournament – gold le kar aana (come back with the gold medal). He always points out the mistakes that I commit during training. He has fought against most wrestlers who participate in the 65kg category. Therefore, he knows their strengths and weaknesses. He gives me vital information and shows me ways to counter my rivals.”
“Wrestlers from Japan and Iran are going to pose the real challenge, but it’ll be a huge mistake to take others lightly,” Punia told TOI in an interview.
Punia has left no stones unturned in his preparation for the Asian championship. The 2018 Bishkek Asian Championships bronze medalist also heaped praise on his new personal coach - Shako Bentinidis of Georgia.
“I have added a few new moves in order to surprise my opponents and will try those at the Asian championship. Shako has been helping me to improve my game. Under his guidance, I have made some improvisations and have been innovating during practice sessions. Situations may arise, especially against tough opponents during tournaments like the World championship and Olympics, where I may be lagging behind. I will bring out these moves then.
"It is always important to remain ahead because these days every top wrestler – in each category – prepares by watching videos of their opponents and all the top wrestlers fight against each other so often that the surprise element gradually diminishes,” Punia added.
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