Bajrang Punia is an Indian wrestler who competes in freestyle wrestling. He is an Olympics bronze medalist, having won the medal in the men’s 65kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In addition, Bajrang is a four-time World Championships medalist, with one silver and three bronze medals. He is also a former World no.1 in the men’s 65kg freestyle.
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At the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships held in New Delhi, India, Bajrang narrowly lost 3-1 to North Korea’s Hwang Ryong-hak in the semi-final clash, securing him a bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 60 kg division. Before this, he had won 3-1 over Shogo Maeda of Japan in the Round of 16 and defeated Morad Hassan of Iran with the same score in the quarter-finals. Bajrang’s success continued at the World Wrestling Championships in 2013, where he took bronze in the same category, reaching the bronze medal match via the repechage round. His decisive 9-2 victory came against Enkhsaikhany Nyam-Ochir from Mongolia.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Bajrang secured a silver medal in the men’s freestyle 61 kg division after a 1-4 defeat to Canada’s David Tremblay. He repeated this success with another silver medal at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon, South Korea, following a narrow 1-3 loss to Iran’s Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari.
In May 2017, Bajrang bagged his first international gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship, hosted in Delhi. His winning streak continued at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, where he won the men’s freestyle 65 kg category, prevailing over Wales’ Kane Charig by technical superiority. His gold medal collection expanded at the Asian Games 2018, where he achieved his first gold at this event by overcoming Japan’s Takatani Daichi 11-8 in the men’s freestyle 65 kg division.
Following a silver medal win at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships, Bajrang claimed the World No. 1 spot in the 65 kg category. He added another bronze to his collection at the World Championship 2019 and booked India’s place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the 65 kg freestyle wrestling event.
During the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won the pre-quarterfinal and quarter-final matches against Ernazar Akmataliev and Morteza Ghiasi Cheka respectively. His 8-0 win over Daulet Niyazbekov from Kazakhstan in the bronze medal match was the highlight of the event. Bajrang clinched the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 in the 65kg final bout, defeating Canada’s Lachlan McNeil. This win marked his second gold medal at this multi-sport event.
| Event | Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Olympic Games | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| World Championships | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Asian Games | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Commonwealth Games | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| World U23 Wrestling Championships | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Asian Championships | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Commonwealth Championships | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
In 2015, Bajrang Punia received the prestigious Arjuna Award, from the Government of India for exceptional achievement in sports. He was further honored with the Padma Shri Award in 2019, one of India’s highest civilian awards. The same year, Bajrang was also the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest sporting honor in India. His commendable performance in sports continued to be recognized in 2020, as he was presented with the FICCI India Sports Award.
Following his outstanding accomplishment of winning a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Bajrang was rewarded with various prizes. The Government of India presented him with ₹30 lakh (US$38,000) for his remarkable feat. He also received a substantial reward of ₹2.5 crore (US$310,000) from the Government of Haryana. In addition to these, the Board of Control for Cricket in India contributed ₹25 lakh (US$31,000), as did the Indian Olympic Association, recognizing his stellar contribution to India’s success in the Olympics.
Bajrang Punia was born on the 26th of February, 1994, in the small village of Khudan, located in Jhajjar, Haryana, India. From the age of seven, Punia found himself drawn to wrestling, a sport which his father even played. He hailed from a humble rural background where financial constraints limited access to traditional sports. Recognizing his inclination towards wrestling, Punia’s family enrolled him in a local wrestling school, where he trained on mud surfaces. It was not long before Punia started prioritizing his wrestling practice over his school education.
In 2008, he joined Chattarsal Stadium, where he came under the guidance of coach Ramphal Mann. To further facilitate Punia’s training, his family relocated to Sonepat in 2015 which enabled him to join a regional center of the Sports Authority of India. Currently, Punia holds a Gazetted officer position in Indian Railways, serving as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for Sports. In his personal life, he is happily married to Sangeeta Phogat, who shares his love for wrestling, as she is also a professional wrestler.
