Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat Reclaim World No. 1 Position!
- Bajrang Punia beat Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir in the final of the 65kg category to defend his title at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in Rome.
Tokyo-bound Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia pulled off a two-pointer in the last 30 seconds of the gold medal bout to defend his title at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event, a result that pushed him back to world number one rank. Up against Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir, Bajrang was trailing 0-2 till the final moments of the 65kg final but managed to level the scores, 30 seconds from the whistle.
- Vinesh Phogat grabbed the 53kg gold medal along with world No 1 rank. It was the second gold medal for Vinesh in as many weeks with a dominant win as the 26-year-old World bronze medallist blanked Canada’s Diana Mary Helen Weicker 4-0 in the title clash.
Vinesh had won a gold medal in Kiev last week and this performance would give her the belief that her preparations for the Tokyo Olympics are on the right track.
The Indian had entered the event as world number three but is back to world number one by jumping 14 points.