Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia sails into Q/F of Men's 65kg, beats Kyrgyzstan’s Akmataliev

Indian sensation Bajrang Punia has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by getting the better of   Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev in his opening bout of the men's 65 kg on Friday.

Bajrang Punia got his first points instantly and maintained a stronghold in the contest with a takedown to earn a few more precious points and took his scoreline to 3-1 in the second period. Even though Ernazar Akmataliev made a remarkable comeback to make the scoreline 3-3, it was just a matter of time before Bajrang outperformed him with a takedown attack and sailed his way into the quarterfinals. 

Bajrang Punia will now be up against  Ghiasi Cheka of Iran in his quarterfinal bout. 

The Indian sensation made his Olympic Games debut on Friday against Ernazar stepped into the sport after watching Kyrgyzstani wrestlers Kanatbek Begaliev and Ruslan Tyumenbaev compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Both the matches of the Round of 16 for the Men’s 65kg and Women’s 50kg Wrestling are scheduled for 6th with all the further rounds to be held on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Punia, on Thursday, tweeted congratulating Men's 57kg Freestyle wrestler Ravi Dahiya for winning India's fifth medal at the Olympic Games. Dahiya lost the match 4-7 to Russian Olympics Committee's (ROC) Zaur Rizvanovich Uguev. He had earlier stormed into the finals of the 57kg category after defeating Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev by a fall.