Bajrang Pines Down Iran’s Wrestler To Reach Semi Final, Will be In Action Again At 3 PM, Against Three Time World Champion Haji Aliev Of Azerbaijan

New Delhi: India’s biggest Gold medal hope, No. 2 seed wrestler Bajrang Punia marches in style into the Semi finals of the men’s freestyle 65kg weight class event at the Tokyo Olympics. Bajrang has won two contests and will be up for today's third bout at 3 pm against a really tuff opponent,  Haji Aliev of Azerbaijan. Aliev is a three-time World Champion and Rio Olympic Bronze medalist.

 In the quarter Final Bajrang pined down Iran’s Morteza Ghiasi Cheka to the mat and won the bout by fall. Bajrang started the contest on the back foot as he conceded a shot clock for passivity and gave one point to Morteza Ghiasi Cheka. the first round ended Bajrang trailed 0-1. The second round was quite different as both wrestlers were going for it and it was the Iranian who caught Bajrang in a leg hold. The Indian however defended the position brilliantly and then received a second warning for passivity. With 90 seconds to go, Bajrang then turned up the ante and pinned down his opponent in a matter of seconds, winning the bout by fall.

On Friday Bajrang started his campaign with a very tuff fight,  defeating Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev on points as at the end of six minutes both were leveled at 3-3, but Bajrang was declared the winner on the basis of a point-scoring move.