Deepak Punia (92 kg) and Mukul Dahiya (86 kg) advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan on Sunday, Indian wrestler Udit maintained the nation’s chances of winning a gold medal by making it to the men’s 61 kg final.
To get to the summit match, Udit, a 2024 Asian silver medallist in the 57kg weight class, defeated Chinese Olympian Wanhao Zou 2-0 and Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu 9-6.
In the final, Japan’s Takara Suda defeated the 20-year-old Indian 6-4. Suda’s quickness and attacking style gave him an early advantage. In the second period, Udit put up a strong fight but ultimately settled for his second silver.
Olympian Deepak Punia, who previously won a silver medal at the 86kg World Championships, secured another medal by competing in the 92kg final on his comeback to international competition. Deepak advanced to the championship round against Iranian defending champion Amirhossein Firouzpourbandpei after defeating Kyrgyz Bekzat Rakhimov 12-7 and Japanese Takashi Ishiguro 8-1.
Mukul Dahiya (86 kg) and Dinesh (125 kg), two more Indians, were still vying for the bronze.
