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Won CWG gold on the same date as Olympic medal loss, says Deepak Punia
Wrestler, Deepak Punia, talks about the connection between his gold finish at CWG 2022 and his bout at Tokyo Olympics. He also shares the key to his success and what it takes for a professional athlete to perform consistently at the highest level.
Life seems to have come a full circle for wrestler Deepak Punia, who defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Inam 3-0 in men’s 86kg freestyle final at the Commonwealth Games 2022 to clinch gold. Sharing the connection between his gold finish at CWG 2022 and his bout at Tokyo Olympics, he says, “I won this gold on August 5, aur August 5, 2021, ko main Tokyo Olympics mein bronze medal se thodi si chook se reh gaya tha. I had decided then that I would get gold the next year on the same date. I trained with this determination. Many people motivated me in the last one year and this victory is because of all of them.”
Punia, 23, credits discipline as key to his success. “Sometimes, we can’t visit home for five-six months (due to training). Koi tyohaar ho tab bhi akhaade mein hi reh lete hain. Mehnat kabhi rukni nahin chahiye,” adds the Haryana-born wrestler.
Ask him on how he plans to celebrate his achievement and the wrestler shares with pride, “Celebrate toh kal bahut hi ache se hua. The entire stadium was filled with Indians. Un sab ne humein khoob pyaar aur aashirwaad diya... Itna pyaar mila kal yahan par ki aadhi kushti toh main woh pyaar dekh kar waise hi jeet gaya tha.”
Delighted to be able to win laurels for the nation, he looks forward to returning home. “Bahut achha lagta hai tiranga lehrate hue dekh kar. The target I had set for myself, the result I had envisioned, things happened exactly that way. Everyone at home is happy and I am excited to go back to my village and celebrate with them,” he signs off
Author tweets @karansethi042
