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Bajrang Punia remains unfazed by the tricky 65 kg men’s freestyle draw that was announced on Thursday. He will take on Ermazar Akmataliev of Kazakhstan in the opening bout. However, Punia’s coach Shako Bentinidis says that, instead of worrying about the opponents, it is better to focus on one's own preparations.
“We have been working hard for this moment. Now the draws are released and everyone is calling me to ask what Bajrang's and my reactions are. To be honest, we never cared about the draws. The Olympics is about how strong we are psychologically. Even an opponent whom we have beaten earlier might defeat us here. Focus will be key tomorrow,” he told Sportskeeda exclusively from Tokyo.
Shako is right about his approach as there have been some upsets at Makuhari Messe Hall in the past few days. The loss of Vinesh Phogat, the gold medal favorite in 53 kg, is probably at the top of the list.
READ: Why Bajrang Punia’s knee injury might bring up the “leg defence” worry at Olympics?
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
Bajrang and Shako, though, have decided to hold their nerves and put faith in their hard work.
“Everyone is good. No wrestler who has come to Olympics is bad. I just want him to wrestle at his best tomorrow and keep his concentration,” Shako said.
Over the past few months, Shako has been working hard to make Bajrang Punia stronger mentally. During their two-month training stint in the US earlier this year, the Georgian coach even devised a new plan to help the Indian wrestler increase functionality and focus.
“We worked on increasing his focus on the mat in the US. I would make him lose during training purposely and, if he did, I would immediately ask him to repeat the drill from scratch. Until Bajrang Punia finished that exercise with full concentration, we would keep repeating it,” he said.
They also worked on a few new techniques to improve Punia's defense. Shako and Bajrang Punia also attended an Olympic training camp in Vladikavkaz, Russia. They traveled directly from Moscow to Tokyo.
The Georgian feels Bajrang Punia has improved a lot since last year and is now in much better shape.
“He has greatly improved in technical aspects. We worked on functionality and added some new techniques. Today (Thursday), we will have a light jog in the evening and then call it a day,” Shako said.
