NEW DELHI: As Amit Panghal became the first Indian to win a silver medal in the World Boxing Championships, wrestler Bajrang Punia on Sunday lauded the boxer saying 'every barrier you cross will prepare you for the next one'.
"Congratulations to boxer @Boxerpanghal for being the first Indian to win a silver medal for the country in the World Championships. Every barrier you cross will prepare you for the next one. Jai Hind," Punia tweeted.
On Saturday, Panghal had to settle for a silver medal in the championships as he lost the final match to Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov.
Zoirov defeated Pangal in the summit clash 5-0 in the 52-kg weight category.
Panghal on Friday had become the first Indian boxer to enter the finals of the championships.
He defeated Saken Bibossinov 3-2 in the semi-finals in the 52-kg weight category.
Earlier on Friday, Manish Kaushik had to settle for the bronze medal as he lost 0-5 in the semi-final clash against reigning world champion Andy Cruz Gomez of Cuba.
With this, Kaushik joined Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (2011), Shiva Thapa (2015) and Gaurav Bidhuri (2017), to win the World Championships bronze for India.
On the other hand, Punia on Friday bagged the bronze medal in the World Wrestling Championships.
Punia defeated Mongolia's Tulga Tumur Ochir 8-7 to clinch the medal in the 65 kg weight category.
The wrestler was trailing 2-6 in the match, but he was able to come back from behind to register a win in the match.
The 25-year-old had secured a spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Thursday after an impressive 8-1 win over North Korea's Jong Son in the tournament. (ANI)