NEW DELHI: It took less than four minutes for legendary wrestler Bajrang Punia to ensure a place in the World Championships, while Ravi Kumar Dahiya cut the ticket by winning the most competitive match of the selection trials here on Friday. The World Championships will be held in Kazakhstan from 14th to 22nd September. The tournament is an Olympic qualifying event.
Most of the wrestlers kept themselves away from the competition due to Bajrang's 65 kg weight class. Only defending national champion Harflower Singh reached to challenge him. In the world rankings, Bajrang, who finished first, could not beat Harflower though. Harflower could not even compete till the second round of the competition due to a knee injury.
In the second round, Bajrang held a strong grip on his right foot so that he could not cross. Bajrang was 7-0 ahead when the bout was stopped. Seven wrestlers, including talented Sandeep Tomar and Utkarsh Kale, were in the 57 kg category. Silver medalist Ravi of the Under-23 World Championships won the title and confirmed the ticket to Kazakhstan.
Ravi, who was trained at the Chhatrasal Stadium under the supervision of coach Virendra, defeated Rahul 12-2 in the final. Deepak Poonia won 5-0 against Pawan in 86 kg category. Only two wrestlers were claiming in this category. The 20-year-old Deepak, who trained with coach Virendra at the Chhatrasal Stadium, has experience in international competitions.
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