Gonda (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 3 : Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh believes India's grapplers' finishing with 10 medals in the Asian Wrestling Championships 2025 is a big achievement, considering it has been a long time since India won this many medals in a competition.
The Indian contingent wrapped up the tournament on an impressive note, securing a gold, three silver, and six bronze medals in the championship, marking another milestone in the country's wrestling achievements.
For Brij Bhushan, even though the medal tally stood at 18 to 19 medals in the past editions, he still believes it is a big achievement for India and its wrestlers.
"There was a time when we used to get 18-19 medals, including two to three gold medals. Despite that, these ten medals are an achievement because it's been over two and a half years since we have won this many medals," Brij Bhushan told ANI.
"Earlier, wrestling camps used to be set up around the year with coaches from other countries and India, and when staying inside the camps, the players had only one task, which was to focus on the game... New camps are being arranged for girls in Gujarat and for boys in Pune," he added.
On the final day of the championship, competitions in the remaining five weight categories of free-style wrestling were held, where Indian wrestlers showcased their strength and resilience.
Out of the five categories, Udit (61 kg) and Deepak Punia (92 kg) reached the final rounds to fight for the gold, whereas Mukul Dahiya (86 kg) and Dinesh (125 kg) fought for the bronze medals.
Udit, competing in the 61 kg category, secured his second consecutive silver medal at the Senior Asian Championship. Last year, he won silver in the 57 kg category.
Displaying remarkable skill, he defeated Kyrgyz wrestler Bekbolot Myrzanazar Ullu by 9-6 points in the quarter-finals and Chinese wrestler Wanhao Zou by 2-0 points in the semi-finals.
However, in the final bout, even after putting up a tough fight, he suffered defeat against Japan's Takara Suda with a score of 6-4, settling for silver. In the 92 kg category, Deepak Punia delivered a commendable performance. He triumphed over Kyrgyz wrestler Bekzat Rakhimov in the quarterfinals by 12-7 points and outclassed Japan's Takashi Ishiguro in the semifinals with an 8-1 victory.
However, in the final match, he fell short against Iranian wrestler Amirhossein Biglar, losing by a significant margin of 10-0, thereby securing silver. Dinesh Kumar (125 kg) displayed immense grit in a highly competitive bout against Turkmenistani wrestler Zyyamuhammet Saparov.
He clinched the bronze medal with a hard-fought 12-12 victory based on technical superiority. Unfortunately, Mukul Dahiya (86 kg) narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, losing to Japan's Tatsuya Shirai by 4-2 points.
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