Bajrang Punia emerged champion at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in the 65kg category after outplaying Iranian wrestler Mehran Nasiri in the final in Georgia today.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist recorded a comfortable 9-3 win over the Iranian, whom he had beaten at the 2017 Asian Championship in New Delhi as well.
The win shows that Bajrang will be a serious medal contender at the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. He will represent India in the 65kg after Wrestling Federation of India handed him exemption from trials.
Meanwhile in the 86kg category, Deepak Punia will fight for bronze against Osman Gosen of Turkey.
For ace Indian grappler Sushil Kumar, it was a forgettable outing as he suffered his first defeat in more than four years to crash out of 74kg category yesterday.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)