Tokyo Olympics: Deepak Punia storms into the semifinals after last gasp victory in the last eight encounter
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Deepak Punia
Deepak Punia became the second Indian wrestler to storm into the semifinals on the same day, as he reached the last four in the Men’s 86kg freestyle category. Deepak Punia scored a last gasp victory over the Chinese, Lin Z after he scored two vital points in the dying stages of the match.
Deepak Punia got an early lead, as he forced the Chinese out of the mat, However, the Chinese came back to cancel that point with a similar move. Punia then registered a successful takedown, and lead 3-1. He was heading towards a win, before the Chinese came back with another takedown with just about 25 seconds remaining on the clock. However, Punia did the unthinkable, and registered a takedown in the last ten seconds of the match, to win the bout and progress into the semifinals.
Deepak Punia faces a stern test in the semifinals
Deepak Punia won the bout against Lin Z by a score line of 6-3, after the Chinese was given one penalty point due to an unsuccessful challenge. Punia had earlier defeated the Nigerian, Agiomor E in the first round via technical superiority, as he won the bout by a score line of 12-1.
Next up for the Indian is a clash against the experienced American, Taylor David Morris who defeated Amine Nazem of San Marino via technical superiority. The American won the gold medal at World Championships in 2018, Budapest, and has three Pan American titles to his name. His last victory came at the Pan American Championships this year, as he claimed a gold medal to qualify for Tokyo Olympics.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)