Bajrang Punia lifts FloWrestling title on return

On his return to the mat after the coronavirus pandemic, India’s Bajrang Punia on Friday ruled the 68kg men’s category to lift the $25k FloWrestling tournament in Austin, Texas.

This was Punia’s first competitive event in more than 10 months since the pandemic hit the world. This comes as a huge win for Punia who had skipped the recently concluded Individual Wrestling World Cup in Belgrade to train for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in the United States of America.

Bajrang hits the nasty head pinch on his way to $25k.

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) December 19, 2020

One of the only four Indian wrestlers to have booked his berth in Tokyo, Punia defeated the two time world championship medallist James Green of USA 8-4 in the final to clinch the $25,000 event.

“Glad with my performance & happy to start on a winning note after such a long break due to the pandemic. Thank you all for the love, support & blessings,” the Indian grappler tweeted after his win.

Glad with my performance & happy to start on a winning note after such a long break due to pandemic. Thank you all for the love, support & blessings !!! 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/N1soHaMwtS

— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) December 19, 2020

In an evenly fought contest against Green, the Indian maintained to make a stunning comeback after being down 2-4 at some point during the first half of the bout.

Earlier in the tournament, Punia had notched up victories against Pat Lugo (6-1) and Anthony Ashnault (9-0) to enter the final.