Bajrang Punia, who entered the Asian Games after escaping the choice trials, suffered embarrassing defeats to make a medal-less exit from Hangzhou whilst three different Indian wrestlers, together with the proficient Aman Sehrawat, received bronze medals on Friday. An under-prepared Bajrang, who spent a serious a part of this 12 months protesting in opposition to WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, started with two simple wins however appeared clueless in opposition to the formidable Iranian Rahman Amouzadkhalili and Japan’s Kaiki Yamaguchi.(Asian Games 2023 Medals Tally | Asian Games 2023 Full Schedule)

Vishal Kaliraman had received the Asian Games trials however the IOA ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, had handed Bajrang a direct entry, a choice which invited criticism from the wrestling fraternity.

Sending defending champion Bajrang, somebody who was terribly wanting competitors time this 12 months, within the robust males’s 65kg competitors proved to be a mistake by the Bajwa-led panel.

Even Vinesh Phogat, a number one face of the wrestlers’ protest, was spared from the trials however, as luck would have it, she suffered an harm and Antim Pangal obtained to compete and made an impression by profitable a bronze medal in Hangzhou.

Bajrang was routed 1-8 by Iran’s Amouzadkhalili within the semifinals after he beat weak opponents within the Philippines’ Ronil Tubog (8-1) and Bahrain’s Alibeg Alibegov (4-0).

Seeing a simple rival in his opening bout would have eased Bajrang’s nerves and he started with a four-pointer to go on board. The Philippines wrestler appeared too overwhelmed, and couldn’t make a single transfer whereas Bajrang raced to an 8-0 lead within the first interval.

It was a matter of 1 take-down transfer, and defending champion Bajrang discovered that quickly to complete the bout by technical superiority.

Next up for him was Alibegov, who was anticipated to place up combat however Bajrang was hardly troubled by the Bahrain wrestler. The Indian confirmed good defence to stroll out a 4-0 winner.

Taking the mat for his hardest take a look at of the day, Bajrang was thrashed 8-1 by Amouzadkhalili, the 2022 world champion and reigning Asian champion, who shocked the Indian with a four-pointer at first of the bout.

The Iranian lifted and nearly rolled Bajrang over after getting maintain of his proper leg. The four-pointer rattled Bajrang, whereas the Iranian stayed stable to defend his lead until the top of the primary interval.

Amouzadkhalili effected yet one more four-pointer at first of the second interval to double his lead. A determined however flummoxed Bajrang tried two leg assaults however the Iranian defended effectively.

Eventually, Bajrang earned one level however the Iranian simply ran away with the bout.

In the bronze play-off, Bajrang couldn’t make a single attacking transfer and misplaced his bout by technical superiority.

The Japanese was fast together with his single leg assaults that he stored changing into factors. He led 4-0 on the finish of the primary interval and continued in the identical trend within the second, controlling the bout in a splendid method.

Sonam Malik (65kg) and Kiran (76kg) additionally misplaced their respective semifinals within the ladies’s competitors to exit of the gold medal race as 4 of the 5 Indians in motion fell on the last-four stage.

In the boys’s 57kg competitors, Aman moved into the quarterfinals with a simple 6-1 win over Korea’s Kim Sunggwon.

Up in opposition to Iran’s Ebrahim Mahdi Khari, who’s the U20 Asian Championships silver medallist, Aman discovered himself trailing 1-8 in fast time however the Chhatrasal Stadium trainee turned it round in a sensational method to win by technical superiority.

Aman reeled off 18 straight factors, placing to work his immense energy and technical prowess to bamboozle the younger Iranian.

Going into the second interval 3-8, Aman employed a right-leg assault and tried to roll Khari, trying a pin. The Iranian survived that transfer however there was no stopping Aman after that as he pulled away with one transfer after one other.

However, he ran into Japan’s Toshihiro Hasegawa, who raced to a 6-1 lead. It appeared like Aman would impact a turnaround but once more as he decreased the deficit by taking 4 straight factors.

It changed into a high-scoring bout with the 2 wrestlers pulling off attacking strikes, however finally, the Japanese prevailed 12-10.

In the bronze medal bout, Aman didn’t give his Chinese rival Minghu Liu any probability and closed it with a dominating technical superiority victory.

In the ladies’s competitors, Sonam Malik (62kg) and Kiran Bishnoi (76kg) didn’t must do a lot within the preliminary simple rounds however have been uncovered terribly once they confronted higher rivals within the semifinals.

Sonam didn’t have to interrupt a sweat in her first two rounds through which she outclassed Nepal’s Sushila Chand and Cambodia’s Noeurn Soeurn, profitable each the bouts by technical superiority in lower than a minute.

Sonam was pinned by North Korea’s Hyongyong Mun, and the Indian couldn’t rating a single level in opposition to her.

She prevailed 7-5 in opposition to China’s Jia Long in a decent contest to take the bronze.

In the 11-wrestler ladies’s 76kg class, Kiran obtained a bye in her opening spherical and obtained the higher of Japan’s younger wrestler Nodoka Yamomoto 3-0 within the last-eight conflict, to sail into the semifinals.

In the subsequent spherical, she was pinned by Kazakhstan’s Zhamila Bakbergenova.

However, she redeemed herself by profitable the bronze play-off 6-3 in opposition to Mongolia’s Ariunjargal Ganbat.

Radhika (68kg) was the one Indian wrestler in motion on Friday who couldn’t attain the medal spherical.

India have received 5 bronze medals thus far in wrestling on this version. Four extra wrestlers might be in motion on Saturday.