World championships silver medallist Deepak Punia lost to World and Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani in the 86kg freestyle summit clash to settle for the silver medal in the Asian wrestling championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Sunday.
In his long-awaited meeting with Iranian superstar Yazdani, Deepak, a bronze medallist in last year’s Asian championships and an Olympic-bound athlete, lost 10-0 in two minutes 53 seconds of the first period.
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The two were set to meet in the 86kg World championships final in Nur-Sultan in 2019, but a left-ankle injury forced the Indian to pull out and take the second spot.
Twenty-one-year-old Deepak – also a World junior champion in 2019 – beat Uzbek Isa Shapier 9-2 and Bokhodur Kodirov of Tajikistan 4-3 to book a place in the semifinals. The Indian managed a narrow 2-0 victory over Korean Gwanuk Kim to make it to the final.
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Sanjeet (92kg) was the other Indian to secure a medal, a bronze, on the concluding day.
India finished with an overall tally of five gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
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