WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS silver medallist Deepak Punia has been named the ‘Junior Freestyle Wrestler of the Year’ by United World Wrestling (UWW) after a stellar season during which he made a phenomenal transition from junior to the senior circuit.
In a breakthrough season, Punia had become the first Indian wrestler in 18 years to win a junior world title. He then backed it up with a silver medal on his debut at the Senior World Wrestling Championships, a PTI report said.
“I am feeling very happy. It’s a great honour for me to be selected among all the wrestlers from the world over. This is really a big source of inspiration for me to keep improving and giving my best,” said Punia.
The 18-year-old’s maturity, resourcefulness and fearless on the big stage made him the only Indian wrestler to make it to the final at Nur-Sultan.
An injury prevented him from taking the mat against Hassan Yazdani of Iran in the final but Punia made it a debut to remember by grabbing a highly-coveted Tokyo Olympics berth in 86kg as well.
The sterling display propelled him to the No. 1 position in 86kg in the UWW rankings.
