CHENNAI: THE coronavirus-induced lockdown might have prevented him from training with his sparring partner but it has certainly given wrestler Bajrang Punia time to improve his physical fitness like never before. “You hardly get time to work specifically on your fitness when you are in national camps or participating in international events. I decided to use this time to improve my fitness and I am more than satisfied with the result as I feel fitter now,” the 65kg wrestler told this daily.
Bajrang along with Indian wrestler Jitender Kinha (74kg) and physiotherapist Manish Chhatri has been training at his flat in Apex Green Apartments, Sonepat, since the lockdown.“Given the ban put on sparring, now I have more time to focus on fitness. We have two sessions of workouts every day. I can feel that I have improved my endurance and agility, and also managed to recover from a few injury niggles, which had been troubling me for a long time,” said the grappler, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by virtue of bronze he clinched at the 2019 World Championships.
To bolster his fitness further, he had brought a wrestling mat to his flat recently. He’s hopeful that will give him edge when competition resumes in the near future. “I brought the mat from home along with a few gym equipment. Now I can practice my moves on the mat which in turn will help me when I return to competitive wrestling. The additional equipment will help me in stepping up my physical fitness session.”
The 26-year-old, however, admitted that wrestling has taken a hit in absence of training. “Fitness-wise, I have improved a lot but the same I cannot say about wrestling. You need to train and spar with partners to improve your skills. In camps, you train with around 40 wrestlers which also keeps you motivated. That is missing at the moment.”
Both Bajrang and Jitender took time out and visited their families but they had kept the visit brief as they didn’t want to compromise with their training regime. “I visited my parents, who live here in the city, when relaxations were in place. Jitender also visited his family. But I returned the same day.”
The duo have been in constant touch with their foreign coach Shako Bentinidis, who is stuck in Georgia. “Shako provides us with a weekly schedule. We follow his instructions and train accordingly. He analyses our training videos and gives his feedback.”Bajrang also informed that the Wrestling Federation of India has been in constant touch with the grapplers.