Reigning junior world champion Deepak Punia on Sunday pulled out of the World Wrestling Championship due to an injury. He was all set up for the final showdown with Olympic and world champion Hassan Aliazam Yazdani Charati of Iran after winning the semi-finals against Switzerland’s Stefan Reichmuth. He is the fourth Indian to bag silver in World Championship. The two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar remains the only Indian to have won a World Championships title in 2010.

Speaking to PTI, Deepak said: “The left foot is not taking the load. It’s difficult to fight in this condition. I know it was a big chance to fight against Yazdani but I can’t help it.”

Punia gets his ticket to 2020 Olympics

The 19-year-old, who became the youngest Indian ever to make it to the final of the World Championships, also booked his ticket for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Deepak, who also won the World Cadet title in 2016, is thus the fourth Indian grappler to book his Tokyo tickets this week, following Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Ravi Kumar Dahiya. While each of them pocketed a bronze medal, Deepak will be the only Indian to return home with a medal of a better colour, guaranteeing India’s best-ever finish.

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Rahul Aware to fight for Bronze

Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rahul Aware lost in the semi-finals by 6-10 against Georgia’s Beko Lomtadze in 61kg category. The opponent started playing aggressive at the start of the game and lead with 4-0. Although Rahul Aware came back with a powerful fight in the second round, he could only manage to close the gap from 2-8 to 6-8. However, Rahul thrashed the former Asian Champion 10-7 in the 61 kg category before this game. Now, Rahul will be fighting for bronze on Sunday. 

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