Deepak Punia holds off Ganbaatar 2-1 to clinch Asian Games wrestling bronze

Deepak Punia in action during the Men's Freestyle 97kg bronze Medal Match against Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar

Deepak Punia won the bronze medal in the men's 97kg freestyle wrestling event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday, beating Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 in the bronze medal bout.Punia took a 2-0 lead after scoring two points in the opening period. Ganbaatar managed to get one point in the second half, but Punia defended well to protect his lead and complete the win.

The bronze is Punia's second Asian Games medal. He had won silver in the 86kg freestyle event at the Hangzhou 2022 Games.

Punia's medal came on the same day Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men's 57kg freestyle event. Aman beat DPR Korea's World Champion Han Chong Song 11-7 in the final to claim his second Asian Games medal, having won bronze in the same category at Hangzhou 2022.The final was closely fought, with both wrestlers staying level before Aman scored the first points to take the lead.Aman defended well against Han's repeated attacks and quickly moved 6-1 ahead just after half-time with a series of well-timed attacking moves. However, Han responded with a strong counterattack and scored six points in quick succession to take a 7-6 lead.Aman then turned the bout around with an important move that earned him four points. He was awarded another point after Han's unsuccessful challenge, putting Aman back in front.Punia's bronze is India's third medal in freestyle wrestling at the Asian Games 2026, after Sujeet Kalkal won gold in the 65kg category on Friday.