Deepak Punia wins Asian Games bronze in 97kg wrestling

India’s Deepak Punia won the men’s 97kg bronze at the Asian Games in Nagoya on October 3, defeating Mongolia’s Gankhuyang Ganbataar 2-1, according to the reported match account. The medal was Punia’s second at the Asian Games, following silver in the 86kg category at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, identified in one report as the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Punia reached the bronze-medal bout after losing 8-9 to Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov in the semifinals, a result that kept him out of the final. He had opened his campaign with a 12-2 technical-superiority victory over China’s Junpeng Zhou, then advanced past Hong Kong’s Vincent Fung Wui Li by walkover. The reported results chart a run of three bouts in Punia’s first Asian Games appearance at 97kg. He moved up from 86kg, the division in which he had earned his previous Asian Games silver. The sources describe the bronze bout score and earlier results, but the supplied material does not include an official competition results sheet. The medal adds to Punia’s international record. He won silver at the 2019 World Championships and has five Asian Championships medals, according to the match reports.