Wrestler Bajrang Punia to miss ranking tournament in Poland

Bajrang Punia said more than the ranking points, he desperately needs mat-training with strong sparring partners ahead of the Tokyo Olympic

New Delhi: India’s top wrestler Bajrang Punia will not compete in the upcoming Ranking Series event in Poland, saying more than the ranking points he desperately needs mat-training with strong sparring partners ahead of the Tokyo Olympics since the 65kg category is loaded with top performers.

The 27-year-old said the pandemic has adversely impacted his training schedule because neither he could travel abroad nor anyone could be invited to India for practice. While India’s other Olympic-bound wrestlers will travel to Poland, Bajrang will go to Russia with his coach Georgian Shako Bentinidis.

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The June 8-13 event in Warsaw is the last ranking series event before the Olympics. The Indian team will stay in Warsaw for a training camp also after the tournament.

“Before Olympics, I need more training. The last 18 months have been tough. There were neither competitions nor training camps outside. It became a huge challenge to get sparring partners. Staying fit was also a challenge,” Bajrang said during an interaction facilitated by Sports Authority of India.