Deepak Punia and Udit Shine in Asian Wrestling Championship Despite Setbacks

Deepak Punia secured his third silver medal at the Asian Championship alongside Udit, who achieved his second silver. Despite a challenging match with world champion Amirhossein B Firouzpourbandpei, Punia excelled in earlier rounds, defeating Takashi Ishiguro. India concluded the event with a total of 10 medals, marking a successful competition.

Deepak Punia clinched his third silver medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship as the event concluded on Sunday. The 25-year-old, unable to qualify for the Paris Olympics, had an impressive start defeating Kyrgyzstan's Bekzat Rakhimov in a tight quarterfinal 12-7.

Punia then overpowered Japan's Takashi Ishiguro with an 8-1 victory before facing Iran's top-seeded Amirhossein B Firouzpourbandpei in the finals. Despite showing a robust defence, Punia was outmaneuvered and lost by technical superiority.

Udit also shone, securing silver for the second consecutive time. India ended the championship on a high note with an impressive tally of 10 medals.

(With inputs from agencies.)