Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia injures right knee in build-up to Games
Competing in the Ali Alyev tournament, Bajrang was up against A Kudyev in the semi-final when he sustained the injury.
File image of Bajrang Punia Image Courtesy: Twitter @Media_SAI
India's star wrestler Bajrang Punia on Friday suffered a right knee injury while competing in a local Russian tournament, less than a month before the start of Tokyo Olympics.
However, his coach Shako Bentinidis assured that there is nothing to worry about.
Competing in the Ali Alyev tournament, Bajrang was up against A Kudyev in the semi-final when he sustained the injury.
It all started with a right leg attack that Bajrag launched on the Russian but Kudyev got hold of Bajrang''s right leg and pulled him. With Bajrang lying on his back on the mat, Kudyev went for a pin but the Indian, writhing in pain, had given up by then.
The referee immediately stopped the bout and called the physio.
Bajrang was struggling to stand and was seen limping as he forfeited the bout.
"He is fine and normal. He has been given a pain-killing injection. It does not look serious, he should be okay," Bajrang''s Georgian coach Shako Bentinidis told PTI from Russia.
One of India''s medal favourites at the Tokyo Games, Bajrang has been in Russia for a few weeks now as he skipped the Poland Open, preferring to train in Russia.
Ali Alyev meet used to be a regular event on UWW''s annual calendar but this year the Russian Federation did not get permission from the world governing body due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
The Russian Federation then went ahead with the tournament.
also read
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Neeraj Chopra throws 83.18m at Lisbon in first international event in over a year
Neeraj Chopra had qualified for the Olympics with a throw of 87.86m, which bettered the qualifying mark of 85m, at an event at Potchefstroom, South Africa, in January last year.
Olympic-bound javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra says he was in training mode during gold-winning effort in Lisbon
Chopra made a promising start to his Olympic preparations with a decent 83.18m which he achieved in his sixth and final throw in the Lisbon event on Thursday. It was his first competition in more than a year.
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian athletes training abroad for Games not to face additional restrictions, says Deputy Chef de Mission
While the Indian contingent will be allowed to train during their three-day on-arrival quarantine, they won't be allowed to meet athletes from other countries during the hard quarantine.