President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated wrestler Bajrang Punia after he bagged a bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
"A special moment for Indian wrestling! Congratulations to Bajrang Punia for winning the Bronze at Tokyo2020. You have distinguished yourself as an outstanding wrestler with untiring efforts, consistency and tenacity over the years. Every Indian shares the joy of your success!" the President said in a tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Punia's achievement makes every Indian proud and happy.
"Delightful news from#Tokyo2020! Spectacularly fought @BajrangPunia. Congratulations to you for your accomplishment, which makes every Indian proud and happy," tweeted Prime Minister Modi.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated Punia.
"Well done @BajrangPunia for winning the Bronze Medal in wrestling at the Olympics and making the country proud with your achievement. His amazing performance in Tokyo demonstrates the skills and perseverance he is blessed with," tweeted Rajnath Singh.
Grappler Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal in the men's freestyle 65kg category in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics after defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov here at the Makuhari Messe Hall A Mat B on Saturday. Punia defeated Niyazbekov 8-0 in the bronze medal match.
As a result of this win, India has equalled its tally of six medals recorded at the London Olympics 2012. In the ongoing Tokyo 2020, Mirabai Chanu (silver), PV Sindhu (bronze), Lovlina Borgohain (bronze), men's hockey team ( bronze), and Ravi Kumar Dahiya (silver) have also won medals.
In the match between Punia and Niyazbekov, the former went on to take a 2-0 lead in the first period and all the pressure was on the Kazakh opponent heading into the last three minutes.
In the final three minutes, Bajrang managed to hold his own and he kept his opponent at bay walking away with a bronze medal.
On Friday, Punia had faced a crushing defeat in the semifinals at the hands of Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan. Aliyev defeated Bajrang 12-5 as the former dominated proceedings from the word go.
( With inputs from ANI )
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