Top 5 #PalatDe Moments of Bajrang Punia

With three medals already in the bag for India from the Tokyo Games, the nation is eagerly looking towards the wrestling squad to bring some more cheer amid the current pandemic gloom. After the heroic exploits of P.V. Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain, there are plenty of hopes from Bajrang Punia and the seven-member wrestling contingent.

Punia, who has been featured as part of Thums Up's 'Palat De' campaign alongside shooter Manu Bhaker, boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav, archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, and the Indian Shooting Team, is one of the favourites for a medal in the men's freestyle 65kgs category in Tokyo.

The Arjuna Awardee from Jhajjar, Haryana will be hoping to carry forward his good form in recent months as he kicks off his Tokyo campaign on August 6. Time and again, the 27-year-old from humble beginnings has shown that he is not one to let defeat and disappointment weigh him down; working harder to climb higher each time. As Bajrang Punia gets ready to take the mat on Friday, here’s a look at some of the brightest moments of his career - all stepping stones that have helped reach the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

1. Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Punia finished with a silver medal in the freestyle 61 kg category, going down to Canada's David Tremblay. Four years later at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Punia turned the tide and brought home the gold medal with a win over Wales' Kane Charig by technical superiority.

2. Gold at the 2018 Asian Games

Punia went through a similar trajectory at the Asian Games. After taking the silver (behind Iran's Masoud Esmaeilpour Jouybari ) at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in the freestyle 61 kg category, Punia went one better at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, overcoming Japan's Takatani Daichi in a tight contest to bring add another gold medal to his resume.

3. Winning Silver at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships and becoming World No. 1

2018 proved to be a banner year for Punia. The Indian also clinched a silver medal at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships – a result that made him the world No. 1 in the freestyle 65 kg category. In the process, Punia became one of the few Indians to reach the pinnacle of their sport on the global arena.

4. Winning Bronze at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships and securing a Tokyo berth

With the Tokyo Olympics originally scheduled for 2020, 2019 was an important year for all Olympic hopefuls as they looked to secure their berths at the Games. Punia did not disappoint once again. By virtue of his bronze at the 2019 World Championships, he secured India a berth at the Tokyo Games for the 65 kg freestyle wrestling category.

5. Winning the 2020 Rome Ranking Series and the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series.

Prior to the global pandemic, Punia displayed his fine form by winning the 2020 Rome Ranking Series in January 2021. Despite the pandemic throwing everyone's schedule, training and lead-up haywire, Punia continued to work hard during the lockdown and ‘Palat’ the odds in his favour. He won the gold at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 held in Rome, Italy in March this year – setting himself up as one of the medal favourites in Tokyo.

Seeded No. 2 in his category behind the formidable Russian Gadzhimurad Rashidov, Punia will be hoping to overturn the odds in his favour once again in Tokyo. If he does, he will become only the fourth Indian freestyle wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

Bajrang is gearing up to show thumbs down to every challenge and turn the game around in 3 days. Grab your special edition can and join us in cheering for our champion at #Tokyo2020