Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia loses in semis to Haji Aliyev, to fight for bronze
Synopsis
India's hope for another silver/gold medal in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics took a hit with Bajrang Punia losing his 65 kg semis to Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
India suffered a setback in its bid for another silver or gold medal in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics. Top wrestler Bajrang Punia lost his 65 kg semi-final clash to Azerbaijan's Haji Aliyev.
It was an embarrassing loss, as the Indian was wholly outwrestled in this bout, losing 5-12. Meanwhile, Punia would now be fighting for the bronze medal on Saturday.
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The Indian started the game by taking the lead. However, Aliyev quickly turned the tide with two points. A further couple of points was an additional 4-1 lead for the Azerbaijani, as he was in total control following the opening round.
In the final round, Aliyev was even aggressive, taking a lead of 8-1. Although Punia scored four straight points thereon, the Azerbaijani made its 9-5 and soon rose to 12-5, therefore completely outplaying the Indian to win it.
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