Tokyo 2020 Bound Wrestlers Deepak Punia, Ravi Kumar Dahiya Qualify for Asian Championship
Deepak, who is fresh from a string of good performances which led to him becoming World No. 1 and UWW Junior Athlete of the Year, has had a great start to 2020 as he qualified in the 86 kg freestyle category by defeating 2014 Commonwealth Bronze medallist Pawan Kumar.
New Delhi, January 3: Tokyo 2020 bound wrestler Deepak Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya once again proved their mettle as they qualified for the Senior Asian Championship to be held here from February 17-23. The trials were held at the K.D Jadhav Wrestling Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Deepak, who is fresh from a string of good performances which led to him becoming World No. 1 and UWW Junior Athlete of the Year, has had a great start to 2020 as he qualified in the 86 kg freestyle category by defeating 2014 Commonwealth Bronze medallist Pawan Kumar. Deepak Punia Fourth Indian Wrestler to Win 2020 Tokyo Olympic Quota; Enters Semi-Final of World Wrestling Championships 2019.
Ravi also managed to qualify in the 57 kg weight category when he dominated Pankaj of Air Force defeating him with a score of 10-0.
"I am feeling very confident and I am hoping to continue with my good form. My goal and dream is to win the ultimate prize in Olympics, but for that I have to consistently perform and be on top of my game in the all upcoming international competitions," Deepak said in a statement.
"I enjoy wrestling and I am currently enjoying the best time of my wrestling career so far. I am hoping to continue this momentum and try and win as many medals for India as I can, including Olympics. I promise that I will give everything to get that Olympic medal," Ravi added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2020 03:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).