NEW DELHI: In July, when Deepak Punia qualified for the World Championships after winning the 86kg trials in New Delhi, his focus was on doing well at the Junior World Championships. The grappler himself had admitted that the senior event would be an eye-opener of sorts for him.
Fast forward two months and on Tuesday, he was posing with the Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju with a World Championships silver medal adorning his neck at the SAI headquarters here. Before that, he had become India’s first junior world champion in 18 years. "The junior gold medal actually gave me confidence that I could take on the big guns. And I was confident of qualifying for the Olympics, which was my main aim," said Punia.
Even though he fulfilled his aim, Deepak was on the cusp of creating history in Kazakhstan. Prior to his final bout against Iran’s Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani, his ankle refused to go along with his will, prompting him to pull out and settle for silver. "The injury happened in the first bout itself and it kept on aggravating from there. I’m thankful to Pehelwanji (Sushil Kumar) for being there with me. He encouraged me to continue wrestling with the pain as it was a matter of national pride," he said.
He was aiming to become only the second Indian wrestler to become a world champion after Sushil in 2010. "On the final matchday, the pain was too much to take. The cold weather did me no favours! I knew I was taking a risk but I went there with the aim to qualify for the Olympics, so it was a risk worth taking," he added.
There were fears that it could prove to be a big setback as the young grappler was unable to put weight on his leg. But he allayed those fears by saying that it is not as bad as feared. “If I would have fought in the final, physios were saying surgery would be required. In hindsight, it was the right call to take despite my disappointment. The injury is expected to heal in 15-20 days time and I will continue physiotherapy and rehab.”
It was last Diwali that he spent some quality time back home and Deepak is looking forward to clearing his mind back in his private space. He also got a taste of the euphoria the Indian contingent created post their multiple medal-winning show. “So many people came late at night to welcome us. Almost my entire village was here. I’m really looking forward to spending quality time at home.”
Cadet champion, junior champion and now senior silver winner, the 20-year-old knows he will be a marked man from now on. And he is determined to improve his own game so that he can continue in the same vein. “I need to work on my technique. The Worlds gave me the chance to look at other wrestlers to understand where I stand. I will work accordingly once I regain full fitness,” he signed off.